Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The current situation is a timely reminder of the Common Agricultural Policy and its purpose. It is there to maintain food security as best we can. It was developed in the aftermath of the Second World War when there was food insecurity of a worse scale than there is now across the Continent. What is happening at the moment is potentially very dangerous.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has been engaging with farmers and farm organisations on what planning needs to happen to ensure we are doing our bit. Realistically, however, it is very hard to substitute the volume of grain and oil, in particular, that comes from Ukraine because that country is so massive.

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