Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and thank him for his comprehensive statement on agriculture. I note his comments and his response, and the attention to detail he has given to the review of the areas of natural constraint, ANC, scheme, the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS, the fodder situation and cattle breeds. I do not know where that list came from or who conveyed it to the Minister, but as he knows, there are greater issues. I am not going to rehearse those issues, because I think he has given a very satisfactory explanation in regard to them, and there is no point in repeating that.

I took the trouble to revisit the Programme for a Partnership Government. This is the blueprint for the Government and, in fairness, a lot has been achieved. I want to start off on a really positive note. Between page 108 and page 120, there are 13 pages with 14 key overarching objectives for the Government's plan. This Government was courageous and brave enough to set down an agreed programme in print. It is incumbent on all parties and politicians, be they party members or Independent, to ask the Government to account for its stewardship and delivery on its programme, which its members set out as their programme, not our own. I want to acknowledge that. I suggest that some other time the Minister comes before the House to go through the programme to gauge the Government's success six months down the road. It is important that we continue to go back to the agreed programme.

I want to mention several issues, some of which the Minister touched on earlier. One of these issues was the fodder crisis. We all know there is a fodder crisis, after an extremely poor summer resulting in poor crop and poor returns of silage, hay and grain. This has had an impact on farmers. Farmers are having difficulties turning out cattle as a result of the bad rain and flooding over the last months, and they are facing the challenges associated with that. I note the Minister's suggestion of a transport subsidy or support, but fodder has become expensive. It is a commodity.

I was in Galway recently speaking to farmers. The other day I was in Leitrim speaking to farmers. There are exorbitant prices for fodder in certain cases. Farmers in Cork and farmers in the west are very different. The Minister does not need me to point that out to him. However, there is a problem there. Fodder has become expensive. When there is a demand for a commodity, it becomes dear. We need to acknowledge that. I ask the Minister to consider some sort of voucher scheme for meal for some other form of fodder to assist farmers, particularly smaller farmers, who are experiencing real difficulty.

I wish to mention some of the more positive trends. I want to acknowledge the enormous work that Teagasc is doing. Teagasc is working with rural development and training agencies to improve viability and the quality of life in rural areas. Teagasc has several workshops, some of which I have attended, covering a range of diversification issues, including agritourism, food, organics, goats, forestry, renewable energies and much more. There is also a growing interest in the development of artisan food and business in agriculture.

I also want to acknowledge the BIA Innovator Campus, associated with and supported by Teagasc and Galway County Council, and the work done there. In recent times they have aspired to create more than 360 jobs. That is a very important aspect of their work. That work is going on in Teagasc's facilities in Athenry, County Galway, and has the backing and the collaboration of industry, Enterprise Ireland and the farming community. The important thing in agriculture is innovation through adding quality to products, and diversification. These are challenges for all farmers, be they big or small, and I know the Minister acknowledges that.

I ask the Minister to comment on how we can look again at rebuilding the sugar industry. I attended a meeting in Castledermot recently. Between Castledermot, Carlow and Kilkenny, it is suggested that a potential plant has been identified for the processing of sugar beet. There are great opportunities to bring back sugar beet in this country, particularly in some counties. Growers are keen. There seems to be a desire to get back into sugar beet. I do not know the Minister's plans for that. Perhaps he could share them with us.

I always talk about Ireland as the green island of opportunity for quality food. That is what we must be. I ask the Minister to talk more about that.

I know that this next topic pertains to the Department run by Deputy Creed, but it is an area that I understand we spoke about in the Seanad today. I refer to our discussions with the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Andrew Doyle, about Coillte and forestry. I attended a meeting of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association last weekend. I am not going to rehearse everything I have said already today, but there are severe challenges in Leitrim, Mayo, Galway and Roscommon. Where Government policy on forestry is concerned, I understand that the EU carbon emissions targets have to be met. However, I am not quite convinced that blank forestry of sitka spruce all over these regions is the way to go forward. We need to talk again about sustainable forestry. We need to talk about broad-leafs, rural communities and their survival.

I am also somewhat concerned that I have learned that there is no right to make freedom of information requests against Coillte. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Minister for Finance are the primary shareholders in this company. We need to address transparency and access to information. I understand that Coillte is a private company, it has a strict mandate and it has to deliver. However, I will address this issue with the Minister at another time.

I want to talk about food traceability and the quality of our food, and the opportunities that go with that in Europe. This presents challenges and points the way forward. I draw Members' attention to Making a World of Difference, Bord Bia's policy and strategy document, which the Government has wholly endorsed and included as a key objective in the programme for Government.

There are challenges facing us, particularly in the area of employment. There are huge employment opportunities in agriculture. New challenges face this country. Many people who want to come here, through the asylum process or other channels, want to work here. There are labour shortages within agriculture. I would like to see Teagasc and the Minister's Department pushing for more apprenticeship-like farm training. Teagasc does a wonderful job. Its representatives gave a presentation here recently in which they identified the need to develop apprenticeship-style agricultural hands-on training. I think there are major challenges, but there are also major opportunities in this area, and I hope the Minister will work on them.

I want to make a few requests. Will the Minister cooperate with Teagasc to explore apprenticeships and training? Will he explore water attenuation grants? There is a huge capacity to retain rainwater on farms. There is an infrastructure, though not a huge one, in water attenuation grants. There is also a potential to develop that area. Would the Minister consider further exploration of organic products, including foods and soft fruit? There is a range of opportunities for diversification in agriculture and horticulture.

The Minister might come before the House at a future time so that we can re-examine the programme for Government and its key objectives. They are good objectives. There are good stories in agriculture. Yes, there are setbacks and disappointments, but there is a hell of a lot going on in agriculture and horticulture innovation, and there are great possibilities for a green island of Ireland.