John Carty (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and compliment him on the wonderful work he is doing in the Department in driving and promoting the organic food sector. I realise the matter is very close to his heart and he is promoting it well.

I refer to several aspects of the debate, some of which have already been mentioned by my colleagues. Senator Ned O'Sullivan and the Minister of State, Deputy Sargent, alluded to lamb. Something should be done for the lamb market, especially along the west coast and the hilly areas where the lambs are not born until into the month of April. They go on the hills then and it can be said that what results is pure, organic lamb because very little, if any, fertiliser is used and certainly no pesticides are used on the hills. From west Kerry to Connemara, the west of my county of Mayo, north Sligo and into Donegal, there is significant breeding of lambs.

Several years ago there was an export market in Italy for light lamb. If memory serves me correctly the limit was 14 kg. However, now there is not a great market for that lamb. I am delighted to note the Minister of State's request to various bodies such as Bord Bia to pursue this matter and to help get the product recognised as organic.

I welcome the Minister of State's reference to the rural environment protection scheme, REPS, and the incentive to encourage non-REPS farmers in tillage production to convert some of their ground to organic farming. The Minister of State proposes to give a sizeable grant of €240 per hectare available during the conversion period. Up to now a farmer had to be in REPS to be eligible for the organic farming scheme. This requirement has now been removed, which is welcome, and it should help our situation.

I refer to organic beef and entry into markets. We produce a good deal of beef, much of which is organic, and there is a good market for it in this country. However, to access the markets in England is another day's work and I am pleased to note the Minister of State is promoting this aim.

Last weekend I visited Cambridge, one of the oldest cities in England. Through the very centre of the town and beside the university lies a square. It was amazing to see the number of people buying produce in that square on Sunday morning. It was very welcome to witness it and to realise such developments can take place in such a city. In recent years we have progressed to a great degree through the development of farmers' markets in towns throughout Ireland. It was a pleasure to see similar developments in Cambridge as well.

Education is another part of the programme. Several primary schools have taken a plot of ground and sown potatoes, cabbage and some carrots to show the children how it is done. Last month, I had the pleasure of showing such a plot in my local school in Knock to the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. Such developments are very important, especially during a recession and when there is no longer full employment. People are now encouraged to take plots and grow their own produce. I realise it can be an effort for some as they have never before seen or taken part in such cultivation. It is wonderful to see such development proceed.

Will the Minister of State ask the vocational education committees to run a programme that would encourage and show people how to grow vegetables again? The Minister of State will know of this from his time as a teacher. When I was young each vocational school had a plot and competed with other schools to see which would have the best garden in the county. This provided a great incentive. We all know how to grow potatoes, but we should encourage people to produce some of the wide range of new vegetables as well.