Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will not be accepting any of the proposed amendments. I reiterate this is a technical Bill with a very narrow focus to transfer the remaining delegated functions to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I am taking on board the points the Deputies have made about designations, notification of landowners and consultation with them. That is certainly something to which this Government and I, as a Minister of State, are firmly committed.

Like other Deputies here, I have met extensively with farm organisations, including the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, and other organisations, over recent months. I met most recently with commonage farmers in Brandon Hill, County Kilkenny, to discuss controlled burning and other issues. The one thing on which we are clear is there is a firm commitment among the farming community to do the right thing by nature. We have a fantastic opportunity, through collaboration and discussion, to bring about a transformation that will support farming and farm incomes while also supporting our biodiversity targets. Those are onerous and significant targets. The new biodiversity strategy proposes that member states would legally protect at least 30% of the EU's land and marine areas by 2030. One third of those protected areas would be strictly protected. That is an overall EU target, and discussions on how those targets will be achieved are still ongoing. There is a commitment there around fair and transparent burden-sharing among member states.

From our perspective, we are having discussions with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, strategic plan, around the opportunities to incorporate high nature value farming, to support that type of activity and reward farmers for good practices that support biodiversity. That is the way forward. We, in our discussions with the farming community and farm organisations, are aware they are custodians of our land. They are aware of their responsibilities to hand on their farms in a good condition for future generations. They are also aware of their responsibilities to improve water, soil and the objectives around biodiversity.

As I have said, this Bill will not address the issues the Deputies are raising. However, I absolutely take on board the concerns of the farming community and farm organisations. We want to work with the farm organisations to achieve this common set of objectives, which can be achieved over the next number of months and years.

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