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

Deputy Durkan made an interesting point in the context of us being a food island that exports to over 180 countries and with a domestic market of approximately 5 million people. We have a capacity to feed almost 50 million people. That is important to emphasise because who should feed the world is part of a global debate. It is those who have a capacity to do it in the most sustainable manner and our sustainability credentials, while not saying we do not have room for improvement, are amongst the most sustainable. We can argue about who is first or second, but broadly speaking we are amongst the most sustainable and we have a grass-based production system. It is important we underpin our offering on the global marketplace in the context of that sustainability. Consumers are very focused on that anyway. We have a natural advantage that we should not willingly hamper in any way. It is worth remembering that, particularly in the context of a growing global population. Someone opposite made the point that up to 2050 there will be a requirement to increase global food production by 50% because of a growing global population.

That is a challenge for us as well. We must ensure that we are the most carbon efficient per kilo of output. We start from a good position, but we have more to do. We have a critical role to play from a global point of view in feeding the world.

On forestry, we are at our highest level of afforestation in nearly 350 years at 11%, with 50% in public ownership and 50% in private ownership. As I said in reply to Deputy Ó Murchú, we must encourage more landowners to participate in that afforestation endeavour because it is not only a legitimate land use and crop but it is also significant in terms of sequestration potential. I note the point the Deputy made about the sequestration of different tree types. What he said about the sequestration of Sitka spruce, in particular, is true.

My Department has been active in the area of renewable energy in terms of LED lighting, solar panel grant aid and other initiatives such as renewable heat pumps and so forth that are supported under the TAMS grant scheme. I accept that we can do more in the bioeconomy area. That is an important opportunity. We come to this debate in a European context late in the day. The industry is very much in its nascent stage in this economy, but that brings its own advantages insofar as we can learn from others. Our agriculture model for anaerobic digestion, for example, is different in the context of feedstocks from those of many of our European counterparts with whom we are sometimes compared because we have an outdoor livestock production system. We do not generally have the feedstock from animal slurries. If one is looking at alternatives for feedstock, including food waste or grass, we must ensure that it is grown in a sustainable way. There is a great deal of research ongoing in this area and my Department is certainly playing its part in that. I see that as an important activity from a climate point of view and also as an economic activity for farmers from which they can benefit in the years ahead.

On Deputy Ó Murchú's point, I am not familiar with this issue of inter-agency co-operation, but it makes absolute sense. I am sure it happens on a practical level. If there are forestry fires, road accidents or whatever, there is a level of co-operation, obviously underpinned by memoranda of understanding, MOUs, and so forth, that would see the efficient deployment of emergency services in any circumstance. That makes sense on an all-island basis.

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