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

I have a few questions. Deputy Eamon Ryan spoke about why people say that the Green Party will be bad for rural Ireland. It would be helpful if that party made a statement on the export of cattle to third countries and on rewetting the likes of peatlands on mountains. People are farming sheep on those lands. It would be helpful if the Green Party could clarify its stance on a few issues like that.

Yesterday, in the Minister's own county, there was good news with regard to methane. A study was carried out on feeding seaweed to cows. This study showed that doing so reduced the methane emitted by a suckler herd by 79%. Is the Minister's Department involved in this research? Has Teagasc been involved? Are we doing anything to work with those carrying out this work? This study took a full year.

On the European farm-to-fork strategy and biodiversity strategy, if one reads the documents, one will see that the EU intends to designate 30% of land around the country. This will be a higher designation than that of a special area of conservation, SAC. One will hardly be able to live in such areas in light of the proposals under the biodiversity plan. The plans also talk about rewetting peatlands. Deputy Ryan mentioned earlier that sheep or cattle could go out on such lands during the summer, but they cannot live on fresh air for the spring, autumn and winter. The sheep farmers on the mountains need their animals out then as well. Will the Minister and the Government oppose the current proposals? They will affect farmers from Donegal to Kerry, including the dairy farmers in Listowel who have reclaimed land. We would say that they drained it and shored it. It is now good productive land for the dairy sector. It is proposed to remove CAP payments from such lands over a number of years. As a Dáil, we need to make sure that is not allowed to happen.

Everyone has been talking about forestry. We have to cut to the chase. Last year, 4,000 ha of the targeted 7,000 ha was not planted because of objections. I believe there are 1,400 or 1,500 files with the Minister's Department with regard to ecology reports. It is at a stalemate. Deputy Eamon Ryan is right that he and I talked about this issue and if he had listened, he would have heard me say that we should plant 0.5 acres on holdings of up to 50 acres. One could have a shelter belt in the corner of a field or down by a ditch so that the farmer could continue to farm. The area planted would increase pro rata. This would lead to 130,000 acres around the country if the money was there for it. As I have said all along, "show me the money". I do not know if we have it. It would be a good thing to include in an environmental scheme.

Where are we going in trying to resolve the forestry issue? I know the Minister is working on it and I am not blaming him but we are at a stalemate even in respect of broadleaves. I got a phone call this morning from a person who put in an application eight months ago. This person wanted to have an ecology report carried out themselves but were told the Department had to do it. The application is being held up with objections and appeals.

Is there fast-tracking of that? Whatever about Government talks, we can dream a dream and we can talk about doing the sun, moon and stars over the next five years. However, if we cannot plant one tree today because of objections, because of EU law and because people see they can go through appeals, how are we going to get through that gap?

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