Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I believe they are on board and he is on board, and I believe Irish farmers want to play their part. As evidence, the new agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, the new mechanism to try to improve the environmental performance of farming, is massively oversubscribed. If we look at farm visits at the moment in the organic sector, there are huge numbers coming in because they realise the high emissions alternative is increasingly expensive. Yes, I would have liked a higher target of 30% in agriculture, but we work with people and work with the agricultural sector and the farming community. Pointing the finger, blaming and shaming them, and saying they are the problem will not get us very far. What we need to do is ask for their help and make sure the change that is coming is good for Irish farming, for young people and for family farms in particular. It is less intensive, less industrial, with less emissions but with better income and better outcomes for Irish farming. It is more stable and secure and is not dependent on big global markets, where the big processing companies, whether in beef or dairy, are the ones who make all the money, which is characteristic of the system we have seen develop in recent years. I think agriculture is ready to play its part and we will work with it to make this happen.

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