Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I do not think anybody should scare the farming community. It is important to stick to the facts on this but also to speak honestly to farmers. The Government recently approved the first phase of the land-use review. This phase was a substantial evidence-gathering exercise, required to deliver on a key commitment in the programme for Government. A comprehensive evidence base is essential to informing Government decisions on the optimisation of our land use. Studies such as the draft EPA research report are part of this evidence-gathering process. The primary objective of the first phase was to identify gaps in our knowledge and to inform the second phase of the land-use review.

The second phase of the land-use review will build on the evidence gathered in the first phase and continue the gathering of relevant evidence to close knowledge gaps. This is critical for supporting the Government's wider economic, social and environmental objectives for land. These objectives include supporting the significant role that farmers and farm families play in the overall success of the economy and society as a whole, ensuring that we have resilient rural and urban communities, and meeting our wider environmental objectives. Proposals for the second phase are being finalised and will be put to the Government in a few weeks.

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