Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Some of the Deputy's message is important, but some of his lack of knowledge or willful ignorance of the initiatives we are taking is offensive to the farming community generally. He should bear in mind that the Paris Accord says we should meet our climate change objectives without compromising food production. What is the point in dismantling a carbon-efficient system of food production only to replace it with production which is not as carbon-efficient in other countries? The Deputy needs to be aware of how efficient our production is per unit of output relative to our competitors. People will source protein one place or another and it is best that they source it from the people who are most efficient. Even the Paris Accord, to which we ascribe and whose targets we are legally obliged to achieve, recognises that.

In the context of fodder crises, it is important that we do not talk ourselves into a situation in which the current difficulties we face are used against us in the international marketplace. In the context of the crisis in spring, which we dealt with, we imported the equivalent of eight hours' feed for a bovine population of 7 million. We have difficulties but they are not issues of national crisis. We need to be careful not to talk ourselves into a situation in which we impose unnecessary damage on the sector. I beg the indulgence of the Chair to continue on this matter. We are spending huge amounts. I heard the Deputy talking about hedgerows in this Chamber a couple of nights ago. We are spending huge amounts - hundreds of millions of euro - under GLAS on planting thousands upon thousands of hectares of new hedgerows, thereby increasing biodiversity and improving water quality. We are improving the genetic merit of our beef herd by investing more than €250 million in ensuring herd fertility and that cattle are slaughtered earlier so they have a lower carbon footprint. That will yield a dividend over time. It is offensive to say that Origin Green is fake news, which I heard the Deputy say at our CAP consultation process. It was a missed opportunity for him to engage in a more detailed way on the issues when he attended the consultation. We have things that we can take from the Deputy's copybook. They are things we are obliged to do anyway.

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