Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

The Deputy Leader and his party leader often make a political point, agreed by many, that climate change is the biggest political issue facing the country and the globe

The real crisis the world faces relates to a shortage of food and the possibility of major famines and general hunger. This is happening at the same time agriculture is experiencing major difficulties as a result of the desire to reduce rather than increase production. I request an early debate on matters such as the increasing number of food shortages. The latter is evidenced by the fact that in the past five to six years the world consumed significantly more food than it produced. We must aspire to ensure that the farmlands of Ireland, Europe and the world are used to produce animals and food in order to cater for the needs of humanity.

The crisis relating to the dire and alarming number of food shortages is even greater than that of climate change. It requires urgent political attention, particularly in the context of the forthcoming WTO negotiations. We are attempting to resolve this problem in the wrong way. We must ensure that agriculture in Ireland and throughout Europe is strengthened, not weakened. Irish farmers and their European counterparts should be paid premiums to produce food, not to allow their lands to lie fallow.