Peter Callanan (Fianna Fail)

It would be an awful shame if young farmers were discouraged by the words of those who should know better. I ask farming leaders, in particular, as well as people in public life, to recognise that there is a role in rural areas for young people who are considering farming as a career. They can be well-prepared by the courses offered by the agricultural colleges, which have a legacy of success as a result of past generations. The colleges have met the challenges posed by the changes in this country since 1920. There is a future for young farmers. Rather than using the béal bocht, we should accept the reality that we are doing remarkably well. Our priority should be to manage the transition from the old to the new regime, to ensure a smooth transfer and to enable Irish farmers and our high-quality food industry to exploit the new opportunities to the full.

The Common Agricultural Policy has been in place for approximately 30 years. The policy's purpose when it was designed after the Second World War, under the Treaty of Rome, was to ensure that Europe would have food. The CAP has a certain legacy. Changes are being made at this point because circumstances are changing. Can I suggest that we re-examine the issue of land utilisation? There should be a new energy policy designed to meet the use of land. We could have a debate on the value of an energy policy based on land usage. We are talking about biomass and biofuels. People in this country have a role to play in the development of rural Ireland. There is a place for a sound and solid rural-based population for many generations to come. Such a population has served this country well in the past generations.