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

The cattle are already calving now. The Minister is aware of the pressing need for farmers to be supported, but this situation raises larger points about our food sovereignty. The pandemic should have been a wake-up call to pivot towards a more secure position. In 2020, our vulnerabilities to food supply chains were clearly exposed. Now, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has highlighted this weakness again. I am very concerned that no real lessons were learned, either by the Department or by the Government, on this issue. We need to move towards a more secure and sustainable food system that is built on a diversified range of crops, with shorter supply chains. This system would be better for producers, especially smaller farmers, for consumers and for the environment. Is the Minister looking at policy changes that will help to protect us from the next crisis? We know that there will be more of them, for example with regard to climate change.

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