Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I concur with the comments of my colleague, Deputy Cahill, in respect of the ill-informed commentary that is made sometimes in respect of farm food production and its contribution to climate change. Thankfully, over many decades, there has been a very significant investment by the State and by the farming sector in modernising their farming techniques and in lowering emissions. Recently, there was a report from the Food Vision Beef and Sheep Group, and one of its proposals would provide for a sharp reduction in the suckler herd. That is not acceptable under any circumstances. It is a huge contributor to the rural economy and to our export earnings and it is similarly the case with the dairy sector.

Again, the lazy and ill-informed narrative from so many areas in regard to climate change, the role of food production and of farming techniques does not take into account that if Europe substantially reduces its food production, then food will be imported from other systems, particularly from South America, where their farming systems are not nearly as sustainable as we have in Europe. We need a balance in this debate and we also need an assurance to the farming community, and to the food industry in general, that it will be able to continue to produce food in such a good and progressive way and that their food production systems will not have to be reduced.

One has to go back to 2009 when we started to grow food exports substantially. Food Harvest 2020 provided for a sharp increase in food production. Let us remember that during the years of a very serious economic downturn, it was that sector which provided very valuable and much-needed employment in every parish in this State.

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