Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will share my time with Senator Comiskey.

I welcome the Commissioner to Seanad Éireann, a House in which he served from 1987 to 1989 and in which, as a Minister, he had many a robust and lengthy debate over the years. I compliment and congratulate Mr. Hogan on his appointment as Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development and on his work since his appointment, which has been commented on favourably.

Agriculture and its development are of paramount importance to Ireland and having a friend in court, so to speak, cannot but increase the understanding of Irish positions on rural affairs and agriculture at Commission level. I welcome Mr. Hogan's comments in regard to the proposed role of Seanad Éireann in European Union affairs and assure him it is our intention to play a more prominent role in these matters. The European Union’s agriculture budget amounts to €60 billion, making up approximately 40% of the overall budget. Agriculture is fundamental to our economy and is leading Ireland’s economic recovery. The appointment of Mr. Hogan as Commissioner is a great boost for our agriculture industry.

I also welcome the recent announcement by the Commissioner of a further 24 rural development programmes, aimed at improving the competitiveness of the EU farming sector, caring for the countryside and climate and strengthening the economic and social fabric of rural communities in the period until 2020. The programmes are expected to create over 40,000 jobs in rural areas and about 700,000 training places to foster innovation, knowledge transfer, more sustainable farming practices and stronger rural businesses. Funding worth €27 billion has been made available, with over €2.19 billion agreed for Ireland. The key priorities mentioned were the modernisation of farms, support for young farmers, sustainable land management, and an improvement of broadband infrastructures through various regional and national programmes.

I wish Mr. Hogan well in his post and shall now hand over to the Fine Gael spokesperson on agriculture, Senator Comiskey.