Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Healy-Rae. I want to underline the Government's support for the family farm and the principle of that all over Ireland. I negotiated with the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, over the last number of budgets, significant increases in the funding for his Department. He successfully negotiated a new strategic Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, plan worth almost €10 billion out to 2027, which resulted in an increase of 50% in the national contribution compared to the previous plan and provided for an extra €1 billion for families under that plan.

The Deputy made a point in regard to the dairy herd. The Food Vision dairy committee, which includes the farm organisations, has made a proposal along those lines. The Government has made no such decision in regard to a voluntary reduction in the dairy herd. Just to be clear on that, it is a proposal that has come from the committee, which includes the farm organisations, but the Government has not made any such decision in regard to that.

On the EU nature restoration law, as the Deputy knows, a proposed general approach was agreed earlier this week at the ministerial Council in Luxembourg, which was attended by both the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan. It gives the next Council Presidency a mandate to enter a trilogue phase with the Commission and the Parliament, leading to full ratification by the end of this year. Separately, the environment committee of the European Parliament considered its proposed amendments to the original text on Thursday of last week, 15 June. Voting took place on an amendment-by-amendment basis and did not conclude due to the time constraint. The debate will resume on 27 June. Both the agriculture and fisheries committees have voted not to support the regulation. It is our position, as a Government, that we hope to see the Parliament now move in line with the position of the Council because the position of the Council is one that we can support.

As previously outlined, Ireland remains supportive of the ambition and the principles underpinning the proposed regulation. However, the challenge involved in meeting the ambition proposed remains very significant, as we acknowledge. It includes the extremely tight timeframes for the quantification of targets and measures, for the preparation of a national restoration plan and for the delivery of targets. There will be a need for a considerable amount of scientific data collection, collation and analysis, including emerging information from the land use review, and the resources required for preparing, implementing and monitoring the national restoration plan are not currently in place and would need to be put in place.

This issue has some way to run yet. The European Council has agreed a position and we hope the Parliament will move in line with that. We support the position that the Council has adopted because Ireland was very much part of, and helped to shape the outcome of, those discussions.

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