Dan Boyle (Green Party)

This debate provides us with an opportunity to discuss agriculture in a more rounded sense. Last week, we debated a Private Members' motion concerning the effects of budgetary decisions on the agriculture sector and today's debate should consider the wider picture. There is no doubt that Ireland can still gain much from its ability to produce good quality food. In that regard, we need to debate the ability of the agricultural system to deliver that into the future. The country has changed sociologically since entering the European Union. In addition, the number of people engaged in agriculture, the size of holdings and the diversity of agricultural practices have changed dramatically. Much of it has been for the better. We have moved away from a mono-cultural farm sector, seeking instead to produce high quality food rather than large quantities of it. This is where our niche market lies and how we can prosper in future.

Concerns have been expressed about rising food prices which have been a factor both this year and last. The situation seems to be stabilising now, however, but we need to reposition Irish agriculture to take full advantage of that. We have chosen to exercise our competitive advantage in agriculture by promoting the rearing of ruminant animals for meat and dairy produce. While we have achieved a high level of quality in that respect, we also need to reach an appropriate balance in the agrisector in future.

In recent weeks, it has been mentioned that the opening up of markets to more red meat and dairy produce, particularly in China, means we must increase production in these areas to take advantage of growing world markets. I would strike a note of caution, however, in that it is not the quantity but the quality that matters. We have already seen a scandal in China over powdered milk. In addition, an increasing number of studies have been undertaken into the effect on countries like China of introducing new food products such as red meat. Therefore, such markets are not presenting as open a door as we might like to think they are. We must first concentrate on the markets we have already developed to ensure that we can keep selling quality food to them in significant quantities.

The real issue for agriculture is to make it as diversified as possible. We have an imbalance in terms of our concentration on meat and dairy products, with less food grown from tillage. We have growing areas such as by-products from dairy, in particular cheese, including farmyard cheeses, which have become very successful. The farming community and farm enterprises are also becoming increasingly involved in elements of environmental policy such as forestry and energy generation, whether through bio-energy, as can be seen in the last budget submission of the Irish Farmers' Association, or the idea of microgeneration of electricity through wind.

The prosperity of agriculture depends on meeting this diversity. In ten or 20 years we cannot be a country whose agriculture depends so much on beef and dairy. We must be a country which uses all the potential within our agricultural sector. If we keep going down the road that we think will lead to prosperity by doing things as we have done them in the recent past, this will be dangerous for agriculture. I sense a growing engagement among farmers and farming organisations to face up to this reality.

In recent years, there was an unfortunate tie-up with the Lisbon treaty campaign and the discussions on the Doha round of the world trade talks. Because of that confusion, we have lost influence in terms of the agricultural debate within Europe and our ability to put our mark on developing our agricultural sector. Farm organisations need to take a responsibility for the confusion that was shown but, at the same time, they should be encouraged into the type of thinking shown in the budget submission, particularly with regard to the micro-energy from wind.

I know the farm organisations are pushing hard to have measures included in the Finance Bill. I do not know whether that is possible but if it can be favourably thought of, if not in this year's Finance Bill then in those of coming years, it would be an interesting building block towards making full use of the capacity of our farm enterprises. This is the real difference between farming in Ireland in the 21st century and the type of subsistence agriculture we had on becoming a State in the 1920s — these are enterprises, this is business, this is agribusiness. In terms of where we go from here as a country, it is by keeping firm to business principles that the agriculture sector of our economy will prosper.

We are still quite poor in adding proper value in terms of our direct agriculture produce. Where Government policy and direction needs to go — I noted the contribution of Senator Ryan — is in making sure there are employment opportunities in food treatment prior to its sale and distribution. This is an area in which, particularly at a time when our economy is at a low ebb and has need of rejuvenation, agriculture can play an important role with regard to getting us back to the levels of growth we have enjoyed in recent years.

Overall, I am optimistic about where Irish agriculture is and where it is going. However, I would add some notes of concern in that if Irish agriculture is to develop, it must evolve, change and make use of the potential that exists.