Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. His points on convergence speak to the challenges that arise in different parts of the country in this regard and also the importance of having a full national debate and consultation on the issues. They also speak to the fact it would not be appropriate for a Minister, without having had that consultation and full engagement with farmers of all types, from Donegal to Cork and every other county, to go off to Europe, as Sinn Féin and some others would say I should, and decide the matter arbitrarily. It will be a challenging debate to have. The budget at European level is now agreed and set and there is a defined pot. What is not set is how it is distributed and how that will impact on various sectors. Working with my European colleagues, I hope that by the end of this month, we will be able to agree the CAP plan at European level. It is really important then, over the next number of months, that we have a full engagement and consultation at national level, right across the country, before making a final decision. I certainly will engage with farmers of all types because this issue is important in terms of farm incomes and it has very different impacts in Donegal, for instance, compared with Cork. There needs to be that engagement at national level with our farmers.

In regard to microgeneration, there certainly is a lot of potential and opportunity. My Department has been engaging with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on this issue. There is significant potential that we need to look at developing. We are considering ideas in terms of how we can develop the potential of farmers to contribute to our energy sector.

Likewise, there is a lot of untapped potential nationally in terms of forestry. There have been very significant challenges in recent months within the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in regard to licences. Both the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, and I are working very hard to address those challenges because they have been inhibiting to the sector. There is a great deal of potential for farmers in the coming years, not just in traditional forestry but also in terms of how it can be part of a whole-farm system. We must embrace the opportunities, including opportunities for significant income generation for farmers.

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