Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support the motion. I thank the farmers we met in different places on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I also note that one meat processor met us on Sunday. I thank that party for being courteous and resolving the issue for the time being.

We have to decide what the future of agriculture in Ireland will be. Where are we going from this debacle? We know that the price farmers are taking is not sustainable. Unfortunately, the land in many parts of the country where beef or suckler calves are raised is not of a quality that could be used for dairy farming. A lot of concerns have out-farms and small plots of land of relatively poor quality. This is the only way of life these farmers can pursue at the moment. We must know what path we are leaving open to these people, because what is happening at the moment is not sustainable.

We have decisions to make. Are we going to continue to allow slurry to be exported from farms that have no land? Will cattle be behind barriers all year in feedlots? Whether in the beef or dairy sectors, are we going to allow slurry go to other farms? I was brought up with the idea that one should farm the land one had. It was not a case of putting two cows or two bullocks on top of one another and deciding to send the slurry somewhere else. Decisions have to be made on issues such as these.

We need to start breeding good quality calves out of the dairy herd. Those farmers are going to hit a wall and no one wants to see that happen but that will happen next spring. Beef farmers face a burden now and they do not want to go back there again. Are we going to have bull calves that are impossible to sell or are we going to try to promote a better quality animal to ensure the industry is sustainable for all involved? I note exports have increased, and I welcome that. However, we need to look for export markets for the heavier cattle, the stores and the weanlings to ensure it is sustainable.

The reality is that most farms in the west of Ireland are sheep or suckler because although one has the farms, one does not have the volume. Some 90,000 to 100,000 farmers have beef or sheep. Will they be sustainable? What is the plan for the future? Are we bringing in any mitigation measures? Hedgerows are not even included in the mitigation measures at the moment. Everybody wants to heap everything on top of the people in rural Ireland. Rural Ireland is supposed to pay for the carbon tax while at the same time be the carbon sequestration part of the country. There are solutions that can be implemented in that regard, such as shelter belts. However, farmers must be rewarded for doing that, rather than having something imposed on them.

There has been much talk in recent weeks at the gates of the factories about Polish and every other type of beef. Will we consider the idea of being the first country to identify all our cattle by DNA? It would be possible to trace the origins to the relevant tag and animal. Are we going to do that or are we going to allow the "ifs", "ands" and "maybes" and perhaps the exaggeration of certain things to continue?

I refer to the issue of 16% of our private land being designated as a special area of conservation, SAC - people were out and about in connection with that today - natural heritage areas, NHAs, and special protection areas, SPAs. All that places a burden on the landowners. There are 35 notifiable actions that have to be done. Those farmers are not allowed to farm like some of their neighbours. They have to bear that burden but a family still has to be reared in such circumstances. The Government hides and does not look after them. There will be reference to these farmers receiving the GLAS payment. Anybody can receive that payment if they sow some wild bird cover. There should be no reference to those farmers being looked through GLAS. We have to make sure that those farmers are looked after. We need Europe, as a whole, and not just Ireland, to decide if we are going to keep going with this drive for low-cost products. Are we going to try to keep bringing in food from Brazil, knowing the standard of traceability used there? Are we going to decide instead that we will produce and provide a proper traceable product at a proper price?

Another aspect that is worrying, and people at the factories will confirm this, is that 15 or 16 years ago, 78% of our cattle were R or U grade but that is now down to 48%. That shows we are not producing the quality animal. Have a look at the Italian market or at some of the other markets or just talk to dealers? They can go into a mart and pick out a pen of cattle in a few minutes. That is all it takes when they are looking for cattle that are E, U and even R grades. We have to decide whether we have a path for these people and these families to follow. I say that because there are more than 80,000 to 100,000 farmers involved. Probably another 2.4 people in rural areas do not have many alternatives.

We cannot continue to neglect and ignore them because as the old saying goes, if you pull a dog's tail often enough it will bite back. We have to put forward a clear path for them and not leave them in a jungle or a theme park. We have to ensure the €12 billion or €13 billion in exports will keep these people going. Our exports will decrease if we do not. We have to make sure the next generation is able to farm the land. Perhaps there are other options we can look at, but we have to make sure we provide some kind of clear path into the future.

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