Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. We are having a very important discussion and debate, whereby we can discuss the different sectoral mitigation measures which will feed into the national mitigation plan which is obligatory and which has to be in situby June this year as I understand it. To my mind, listening to comments, and we all know about the climate debate, the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol before that, farming tends to get a lot of criticism, and there is a balancing act. We cannot talk about climate change in agriculture without talking about food security. We have to look at things in the round. I believe that is what Government policy is doing.On the one hand, there has been extreme criticism by people at a very high level that there is no interest in tackling climate change. Clearly, that is not the case as the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 provides a framework. However, the legislation is nuanced. As mitigation measures cost money, we must answer the following questions. Who will bear the cost? How can we get around the issue? It is all very well, no more than with health, to say we should spend more but every service must be paid for out of the public purse. In addition, we do not wish to crush agriculture and leave the sector unproductive. Instead, we want to grow the sector in a responsible manner. At the end of the day, people must eat and we need protein.

The great thing about this debate is it affords us an opportunity to talk about the good stuff that is happening in the agriculture sector. The sector represents 33% of the total national emissions but since 1998, which was the peak level, there has been a 13% reduction in emissions by the sector. There are many reasons for the reduction. Extensive grasslands emit the lowest emissions and luckily that is what we have with our temperate climate. Education is provided through the green cert scheme and Teagasc, which are preaching production efficiency, the proper use of fertilisers and grassland management. We also have Government schemes such as the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS, the beef data and genomics programme and the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS, as well as organic farming receives supports.

I am a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine and together with its other members, I hear how vast is the farming industry all of the time. At committee meetings we hear from all of the agricultural sectors, the marine sector and the forestry sector. Cost must always be discussed and while imposing a carbon tax would be a crude mechanism, what effect would an increase in the cost of fuel have on farming and on domestic households? Who will carry the burden of a carbon tax?

We must be responsible when it comes to climate change but be willing to compromise. I refer to the comments of the former President, Mary Robinson, who is now an advocate for climate justice. While I am in favour of climate justice and am delighted that someone with her profile is an advocate, it is not a good idea to change to crops that are used in energy production but do not suit our climate. A carbon footprint will be created if we import such crops from the tropics. Ireland produces beef and dairy products that meet a great part of our protein requirements in our diet. If one talks about Armageddon or about extreme scenarios such as halving the national herd, people switch off. Let us remember that farmers are responsible people but they must be able to make a living. If everyone went back far enough they would discover that they hail from a farming background. Generations of farmers have passed on their knowledge and interests. They have safeguarded the countryside for so long. The best way is for us to work with farmers, talk to them and overcome any hurdles.

I wish to refer to targets and tackling the mitigation of carbon emissions. As the Minister will be well aware, food waste is a massive problem and happens in the food chain due to food grading. Sadly, a lot of nutritional food is discarded for not looking a certain way. For example, ugly tomatoes do not make the grade. It costs money to produce and transport food yet food is wasted. There are initiatives to make greater use of food waste. Such initiatives would allow us to be more environmentally conscientious and face up to our responsibilities.

Microenergy generation is another issue for farmers. Our policies do not lend themselves to microwind initiatives. What about introducing district heating systems using biomass and biogas? As there has been investment in sustainable forestry, there are more opportunities to have in place systems that will grow the sector and add value such as, for example, producing wood chip or whatever in rural areas that are crying out for jobs, investment and growth. The forestry sector would lend itself to further growth and holds potential for rural areas. Investment in the sector would help us to meet job creation targets.

Can the Minister tell me the status of the renewable heat incentivisation scheme? The horticultural sector and mushroom growers have raised this issue.

On transport, we face challenges in meeting certain targets. While pilot projects have focused on big HGVs and the like, how can the Government support farmers with this issue?

With all due respect to Senator Paul Daly, nothing he says can change the reality. He sounds like he has become a member of the Green Party but that is untrue. The idea that Fianna Fáil made massive strides towards creating a low carbon economy is untrue. I was a Deputy for five years before becoming a Senator so I know this is not the case. However, I commend the work that has been done. We need to bring people with us. There is no point in making ridiculous statements on how to tackle carbon emissions without discussing how measures will affect the people who will have to make the necessary changes and incur the associated costs and hardships.