Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Minister's efforts to address the issue. What policy changes are we looking at to address food sovereignty? Farming organisations have outlined that very few farmers have the capacity to grow the grain we need. What consideration is being given to supporting the existing tillage sector to have the knowledge and capability to encourage planting of more grain? With targeted funding, farmers could plant more or rent suitable land. Has flexibility for the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS, been examined? The other pressing issue is access to fertiliser. When we last spoke on this, there was a massive price increase, which is obviously still a major concern, but access is more pressing now. Farming organisations are warning of a potential fodder crisis, especially for small farms that cannot afford to bulk purchase fertiliser. We need to move away from our high dependency on fertiliser, which is a process. What is being done to address the issue now?

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