Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

In his contribution Deputy Murphy referred to Deputy Bruton's words earlier. It might surprise Deputy Murphy that I would agree with him on the point that we are in such a serious situation with regard to nature collapse in this country that we cannot look at targets, dismiss them and say we do not know how to get there. It is such a serious situation we must set the targets and we must then figure out how to get there. I disagree with my colleague on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action, Deputy Bruton, on this particular point.

I will speak to the decline in nature in my home county of Limerick, with gratitude to Dr. Tom Harrington and Mr. Tom Tarpey, who gave a presentation to the local branch of the Green Party just last week. I will refer extensively to the painstaking research they have done over the years. Through their research we can see the passion they have for nature. Through their lives they have seen the incredible decline in biodiversity and nature in my home county. The collapse in bird species especially is utterly alarming. There has been a 52% decline in 30 years of the shoveler. The pochard has had a 77% decline in 30 years. The red grouse has declined in numbers by greater than 50% in 30 years. The kestrel has had a 53% decline in 20 years. The golden plover has had a 44% decline in 20 years. The dunlin has declined by 62% in 20 years. The snipe has declined 78% in 30 years. The woodcock has declined by 73%. The list goes on and on. The barn owl has had a 50% decline in 20 years. The swift has had a 56% decline in 20 years. The grey wagtail has declined 50% in 20 years. This is only a snapshot of what was quite a harrowing presentation to the party members and the public who attended last week in the Strand Hotel in Limerick for this talk. We are seeing a total collapse in nature. This should utterly alarm everybody in this House and in the Upper House. We are not taking it seriously.

Just this week, members of Irish political parties with larger European representation, namely, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, sought to torpedo the nature restoration law at the European level. This is an utter crime against nature. I listened to Deputy O'Rourke, for whom I have great respect and who is a valued colleague and tireless worker on the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action. The Deputy talked about the decline of nature under way. At the same time, he sent a signal to the intensive agricultural community that this is about pathways and not cliff edges. What the Sinn Féin representative in Europe did earlier this week was to go to the cliff edge and throw the nature restoration law over that edge. This is what the bigger parties in this country are seeking to do and it is unconscionable. In biodiversity week, this is utterly unconscionable. It is unconscionable following the Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss.

I urge colleagues whom I respect all across this House in all parties, because I believe they are serious and here to do a good job for this country, to understand the crisis we are in and to seek to stop this collapse that is under way. This is not a time for doublespeak, and that is what we are hearing. It is total and utter doublespeak, and not taking this issue as seriously as it is. This will come back to haunt us because these very systems are those that support food production and life itself. If we look to the short term and are politically expedient, then we will lose these systems and the very existence of our species will be threatened if we see total nature and biodiversity collapse. This is where we are going now.

I look at the map of the rivers at risk in my home county. Those rivers in green on the map have good quality water, those in amber have water quality at risk and those in red have water quality that is very much at risk. This map is one that primarily shows rivers and watercourses in red throughout County Limerick. There is an absolute correlation between that deterioration in water quality and the growth of intensive agriculture. If I can borrow Tom Tarpey's words, the livestock industry has completely captured the political process in Ireland. It is the tail wagging the dog. It is a throwback to times when agriculture was the dominant economic force in the country and intense lobbying has happened in the interim. Agriculture now accounts for just 1% of gross domestic product, GDP, while it produces 37% of our emissions. It is inextricably linked with the nature collapse very much under way here.

The sector has a completely disproportionate influence on this Parliament and we must stand up to this. I point out to Deputy O'Rourke that this is about pathways. The nature restoration law is the pathway; it is not the cliff edge. The nature restoration law is the regulation from Europe that would seek to get us on the pathway to turning the course of this nature collapse back onto the right path. I urge Deputy O'Rourke to urge his party colleagues, just as I will urge Deputy Bruton and any colleague in this House, to persuade and influence their colleagues to get on board and to be on the right side of history, because currently so many of us are on the wrong side of history and this is not good enough.

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