Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for attending the House. This Government has talked the talk but it has not walked the walk. People talk about historical things that happened in the recent election. All the Independent Deputies were elected from outside of Dublin. Why? Because people on the ground in rural Ireland said they were not being listened to. We are the best country in the world for protecting and respecting other people's cultures, except when it comes to our own and especially when it comes to the farming sector.

I come from a farming background and I also have a background in construction. Throughout history, those in the farming sector ensured that there was always another generation to take over farms for the future. The problem now is that every generation has to deal with all the changes being made within the farming sector. Those people are working long and hard with everyone to do that. However, the lack of understanding of change in farming is evident.

Agriculture is the main driver of the rural economy. There are 260,000 jobs in the agricultural sector, or one in eight of the total number of jobs. Some 90% of beef produced in Ireland is exported. Our food exports in 2019 were valued at €13 billion. Ireland is the fifth biggest exporter in the world and the largest in Europe. How do we incentivise farmers? We know that agriculture is a contributor to our national emissions, but there is a distinct divide between the cause of emissions and being a contributor. Agriculture is not the cause of all emissions in Ireland. That suggestion can cause great offence to farmers, who are just existing. Farmers are, however, conscious of the environment and the causes of carbon emissions.

Farmers find it unbearable to imagine that their production is being curtailed, yet there are trade deals to import beef, produced as a result of deforestation, from Brazil. I refer to the proposed importation of 99,000 tonnes of beef, with a value of €21 million, from January to September 2019. Stopping that 99,000 tonnes of beef coming into Europe was tackled by an organisation of young farmers around Europe, including Macra na Feirme. It signed a petition calling for that beef to be stopped from entering Europe.

The UK is no longer a part of the European Union so beef produced as a result of deforestation can come into that country and damage the market there for Irish beef. If we are serious about emissions reductions, we need to look first at land mobility. Land mobility involves moving land from one generation to the next. In 2019, Macra na Feirme produced a comprehensive paper on succession planning leading to partnership. It secured 500 arrangements in respect of 47,000 acres. What does that mean? It means that we need to look at ways of incentivising young farmers to take more land or for older farmers to retire. We need to do this because we need to get better at technology and farming practices. If a farmer is nearing retirement or a farm is not providing a living, will there be investment in technology and in better farm practices? No, there will not. Land mobility may be the answer.

There is much talk about reducing the national herd. Is it just talk? Milk recording services carry a high rate of VAT, that tripled last year to 13.5%. Why? This is a cutting-edge technology that highlights high-performing animals, thus allowing the culling of non-performing animals and reducing the national herd. We are missing out there. We need joined-up thinking; we do not need to be disincentivising such important practices.

Reducing the VAT rate on sexed semen would also help to reduce emissions. For example, a reduction in the number of Friesian bull calves being born would reduce the national herd. A properly funded set of agri-environmental schemes needs to be based on results. Teagasc has the latest cutting-edge results. The farmer will follow the plan and know what is right for his or her environment.

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