Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Congratulations and commendations are due to the agrifood sector for doing almost the impossible. While being hit with Brexit and Covid at the same time it has managed to keep the food supply chain going in an admirable fashion. Ministers should take responsibility for doing a good job in that particular area which I hope can continue.

I agree with the points raised by Members on the horse racing industry. It has likewise been beset by Brexit on the one hand and Covid on the over. There is a need to attend to the point-to-point issue. Also, access to the UK for the bloodstock industry is an absolute necessity. I wanted to mention those points in passing.

I mention also something a little more parochial related to County Kildare. The sport horse sector, which is considerable in the county, proposes to upgrade its shop window and create a centre of excellence. This is desirable and a great move on its part. Unfortunately, however, the proposal is to move from inside the county to out of it.

When I raised this issue previously, it was pointed out to me that it is only a matter of a couple of hundred metres. My response was that is all the more reason it should not move at all. I ask the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, to use their influence to try to ensure that centre of excellence is located in County Kildare, adjacent to all the other racing, bloodstock and sport horse facilities that are readily available and where there are available sites.

I wish to underline the importance of the issue of forestry felling licences. It is not going well at the moment. I know there has been an improvement, but there are still serious problems and people have been held up unnecessarily.

On the issue of the peat industry, which was also raised by Deputy Leddin, we have, as the Ceann Comhairle well knows, a very healthy horticulture sector in County Kildare which depends on the peat sector for supply. I hope a means can be found to allow that supply to continue on the basis that the horticulture sector is very close to being carbon neutral. There are no miles involved in delivery of the products. It would be a serious problem if we had to import from outside the country. At this moment. the horticulture sector is looking forward to some reassurance which it is to be hoped can be brought to bear.

Credit is due to all those in the industry and the agrifood sector in the context of the difficult year they have had to survive. The industry has survived so far.

Incidentally, on the issue of the meat sector and meat factories, meat factories all over the world have had difficulties in terms of outbreaks of Covid, but the owners have a vested interest in keeping their supply chain open. Some people have suggested that the owners somehow want to close the factories down or operate them illegally. In fact, they want to keep them open and keep supplying the market. It is to be hoped that will continue into the future.

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