Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Independent Group for tabling this Private Member's business and Deputies Kerrane and O'Rourke for the amendment.

Urgent action is needed to address the fact that when it comes to our climate, future generations are under threat but the manner in which the nature restoration plan was initially presented rightly caused considerable concern among farmers and rural communities. When the initial text was published, questions arose as to whether rewetting would be an obligation or voluntary, why a socioeconomic impact assessment of the implementation of the restoration measures had not been carried out and whether compensation or funding for farmers would be involved. We called this out because Sinn Féin does not support mandatory rewetting and we believe those who are carrying out the work must be incentivised and rewarded.

Furthermore, the State has an essential role to play in any rewetting efforts. State lands and State agencies must lead from the front. We were constructive, therefore, in our subsequent engagements in Europe and the following measures have since been included: a definition of rewetting and an explicit obligation that it be voluntary for farmers; a requirement for national restoration plans to provide for an estimated socioeconomic impact of the implementation of the restoration measures; compensation schemes for farmers and others who choose to undertake nature restoration measures; a new chapter on funding, including a mandate for a permanent, dedicated nature restoration fund to provide additional financial support for those involved in nature restoration; and a new chapter on public participation, meaning all stakeholders and communities must be engaged in the preparation, review and implementation of the plan.

Fine Gael’s group, the European People's Party, EPP, and others on the right rejected what we had engaged and pushed for. They rejected new funding for our producers, a socioeconomic impact assessment, a guarantee that rewetting would be voluntary and public participation. Why did they do this? It is too serious for our farmers, and it is too serious with regard to climate action. All is not done yet. The matter will now go to a plenary session at the European Parliament, and we will fight to strengthen the Council’s amended position for our farmers and rural communities. We will do this for our rural communities and our climate targets.

Monday was the hottest day globally ever recorded. Action is needed now, and if we work together on this, we can secure nature restoration that strikes the correct balance, and farmers and rural communities will not be left carrying the burden. Moreover, we can contribute to measures aimed at mitigating the climate burden future generations will have to carry.

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