Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In the time I have I will try to be as focused as possible. I welcome the Minister of State's speech today. I welcome that he has confirmed the Government is confident, just as Deputy Fitzmaurice has said, that at a minimum the rewetting targets for 2030 and 2040 can be met entirely on State lands. I welcome the clarification that flooding is not in question. It has nothing to do with flooding. I welcome the clarification that there are no designations under the nature restoration law. I welcome the fact that it was confirmed for the record that all of this is voluntary. I thank the Minister of State for this.

I thank those in my office for their work and I thank the Oireachtas Library and Research Service for the digest, as usual. I will not be party to anything that seeks to reduce the ability of local farmers, particularly small farmers, to live in an area and farm sustainably. If I have a chance I will come to some of the very good projects being done at present.

I pay tribute to Mick Wallace who comes from a small farm and who has gone out on a limb in Europe on this.

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