Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I too offer my congratulations to him and wish him the best for the term. I think it might be a very busy term; that is what my gut is telling me. We will see how it pans out. I also congratulate the Minister, Deputy Heydon, and Minister of State, Deputy Grealish, on their appointments. This is my first time speaking as spokesperson for agriculture for the Social Democrats. Agriculture and the marine are cornerstones of Ireland both economically and culturally. They have played a huge part in many communities, families and lives; indeed, my own as well. My family was traditionally a fishing family. I worked in the area of fisheries for many years so I am looking forward to working with the Minister on that issue. I also worked in aquaculture for quite a while; I spent far too many years cleaning out fish tanks across the country. There is a long history of agriculture and the marine. We face many challenges but I share the Minister's optimism. If we get this right, it could continue to thrive and offer so much hope to many communities but a lot of challenges are to be faced. We have to start thinking outside the box. The business-as-usual approach will not work. Environmental issues are hitting us at the moment along with climate issues. There are also global considerations. There are many challenges but lots of opportunities as well.

We had Storm Éowyn recently. There was a lot of discussion about it. It had a huge impact and hit many communities, particularly in the north and north west. From an agriculture perspective, one of the sectors particularly hit was horticulture, which lives on the margins anyway. Many businesses have quite precarious futures and struggle to make ends meet a lot of the time. The Minister reopened the scheme for the horticulture sector, which I welcome but there are some gaps in the scheme. It could be revised to ensure it puts supports where they are needed and when. The scheme is not designed to be an emergency-based scheme which is exactly what the horticulture sector needs, particularly the smaller players. There are difficulties for people in the sector in relation to the application form, the paperwork required as part of the scheme and the fact that it is a reimbursement scheme. Many smaller players in the horticulture sector do not have the capacity to make these payments upfront and then get the money back in a number of months. I ask the Minister to revise that scheme and look at it from an emergency perspective. It is particularly problematic for small players. Only capital costs are covered under the scheme; loss of crops is not covered nor ancillary costs. It would be useful if the Minister looked at that.

I also want to refer to Mercosur. It is a global issue that could have a huge impact on our agricultural sector. It is not often that the environmental and agricultural sectors in Ireland stand side by side against something but they do concerning Mercosur. Perhaps they come from different angles but both areas see huge problems with the EU ratifying and going through with this trade agreement. There is still no clarity over what it will mean for the agricultural sector in Ireland. The EU Commissioner for Trade spoke about a fund that would support farmers if they were negatively impacted but in the next breath he said there would not be a fund. There is a lot of uncertainty, leading to the further undermining of people's trust. Farmers need clarity and to know what could be coming down the road. In the Minister's opening statement, he spoke about the measures he has taken and said he has been raising this at an EU level. Has the Government submitted its formal opposition to the Mercosur deal? That should happen. I know a voting bloc is required. What is Ireland doing to drive that and be actively involved to make sure we are doing as much as possible to bring countries together with similar concerns to ours to make sure this deal does not go through? If this deal goes through, it will benefit a lot of countries in the EU but Ireland is one of the countries that will be severely damaged by it, particularly the agriculture sector. Will the Minister actively try to get that grouping together to make sure this deal cannot go through, particularly in its current form?

It feels strange to talk about greyhound racing in an agricultural debate but it is an agricultural issue. A report today stated that 202 greyhounds were killed last year on the track or as a result of racing. That is the highest number of greyhounds killed since records began. There was a 50% increase in the number of fatalities and injuries in 2024 compared with 2023. There are major animal welfare issues associated with this industry. It does not just relate to Ireland; it is across the globe. That is why so many countries have banned it. Only seven countries allow greyhound racing. Of those seven, New Zealand will ban it from 2026 and Wales said this week that it will ban it. Ireland is an outlier not only in that we allow greyhound racing to happen but that we support it.

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