Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Some people in this House understand that very clearly, but have not articulated it.

These statements are very important. They are an opportunity to set out what Government does to ensure the concerns of rural and coastal communities around the nature restoration law are addressed. This is an emotive area, as we saw today, for those farming on peat-based soils. Thus, it is important we dispel some of the fear around this proposal. Since the publication of the commission's proposal last year, Ireland has been working with other member states to achieve a final outcome which strikes the right balance. The proposed regulation must work for biodiversity, but must also respect and consider farmers and fishers as the custodians of their environment, recognising their existing efforts in this area and their contribution to other areas, such as food production.

The Council's most recent proposal for regulation has provided significant flexibility, influenced by inputs from Ireland and other member states, which would support the delivery of the regulation's ambition, in a manner that is environmentally, economically and socially sustainable in an Irish context. That is one element of the proposal, that is, the Council side of things I talked about, which differs from that of Parliament. This flexibility includes the provision of a step-by-step, gradual approach to the delivery of targets. This will allow national plans to evolve, based on scientific and technical advancements and learning from the implementation on the ground.

Specifically, for the agricultural sector, the Council's proposed amendments allow for greater flexibility nationally, in determining the best approaches for restoration of drained organic soils, in light of national circumstances. We know Ireland's national circumstances are very different from those of many other European countries. This flexibility is very important to Ireland and it is why the Government has fought for it. The flexibility will allow State lands to contribute significantly in the first instance and this can be built on further, through voluntary and financially supported contributions from farmers and fishers who wish to do so, on a voluntary basis.

The text of the regulation is still a work in progress and that final text has not yet been agreed, a very important point to make here. The process of trialogue negotiations among the European institutions will determine the final outcome but we have been proactive in ensuring our national circumstances are reflected in the Council's proposal.

In his opening statement, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, set out that many actions in the Irish agricultural sector are already delivering to protect and improve our nation's biodiversity. We can see the significant appetite among farmers to play their part through the sign-up figures for the new agri-environmental scheme, ACRES. Significant action has been committed to through rehabilitation of Bord na Móna lands, work under EU LIFE programmes and through sectoral strategies such as Food Vision 2030. Farmers are up for this and to ensure the most efficient and effective delivery we need to work with them in partnership. It is the only way we can deliver for the environment and farmers have the ability to do that.

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