Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister mentioned the significance and importance of the agricultural budget and the CAP. The proposals are to "green" the CAP. Will the Government agree to that? Our farmers will have to adapt to more green-friendly agricultural policies, including examining carbon emissions and considering ways to decarbonise the agricultural economy. While we all realise how important agriculture is to Ireland, changes are coming down the road and we will not have much of a choice about them. What planning is the Government doing in that regard? It has spoken about forestry but we have not seen any plans. Remarkably, in the Minister's Budget Statement, I never heard the words "tree" or "forest". It was mentioned at the back of some of the budget documents but he never even mentioned it. It is very important for the future of both Irish farming and the budget.

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