Noel Coonan (Fine Gael)

I will do so now. I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following:

—condemns the Government for its failure to address the crisis in Irish farming:

—notes the damaging role played by the Government and the Minister for Agriculture and Food in the demise of the Irish sugar beet industry; the willingness by the Minister for Agriculture and Food to support proposals at the WTO negotiations, which will be hugely damaging for farmers and her failure to halt the flight from the land which results in seven farmers leaving the land each day;

—condemns the Minister's failure to publish an action plan in response to the Agri-Vision 2015 committee report for 16 months and the failure of the enterprise strategy group action plan to set out any recommendations for the agriculture sector;

—notes the lack of funding commitments in the plan, which will render the plan ineffective and unworkable;

calls on the Minister:

—to immediately address the huge decline in Irish farming by moving to implement the recommendations contained in the Agri-Vision action plan as a priority and to ensure that any agreement reached at the WTO talks does not further undermine Irish farming;

—to set out and fund at once the critical enablers under which the recommendations contained in the action plan will be delivered and to accompany these with set deadlines under which they must be achieved;

—to ensure that sugar beet farmers receive the maximum of compensation permitted under EU regulations and to develop a strategy to ensure a future for sugar beet farmers, including new initiatives to encourage the growth of crops for alternative energy; and

—to ensure that the action plan of the enterprise strategy group is amended to include specific recommendations for the growth of the agrifood sector in Ireland which the Minister must implement for agriculture and other relevant bodies.

I reject the motion proposed by Senator Callanan. I commend the Fine Gael amendment to the House and urge the Minister to take on board its recommendations.

In November 2004, the Agri-Vision 2015 committee, under the chairmanship of Mr. Alan Dukes, produced a report. Had Mr. Dukes been in charge over the past number of years, agriculture would not be in its current crisis. I mean nothing personal by that remark but would say "Welcome back, Alan, all is forgiven."