Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. Without a doubt the most immediate and pressing issue in the north and north west of the country is fodder. The continuously wet weather that people have been experiencing more or less since last summer, as previously outlined, has affected farmers' ability to save silage, hay and so on. It has also caused them to house animals at an early stage, putting more pressure on limited fodder. I welcome the Minister's response, including the setting up of the fodder transport subsidy scheme. This is very important. Farmers who can see that they are or are about to be affected, or who face the imminent threat of running out of fodder, need to act.

At the initial stages of the crisis, the Minister asked Teagasc to conduct a study of where fodder shortages might exist.What was the nature of the report back to the Minister on the matter? What numbers of farmers are involved? What is the situation in individual counties? Can the Minister paint a picture of the more empirical findings? Farmers complain of the problem to me. We know farming organisations have been highlighting the issue. We would benefit from knowing what Teagasc has come up with.

It has not stopped raining - that is the problem. This is also leading to problems with holding tanks in slatted houses. I am unsure what the Minister can do, but people cannot put animals on the land and the holding tanks are full to the brim. It is beyond difficult and depressing for farmers at the moment. They are on the land battling with all of this and there is no end in sight. If current conditions run for another while, it will only compound the issue. I am keen to hear the views of the Minister in respect of the establishment of a meal voucher scheme. At what point will the Minister consider that?

The most critical issue, aside from the weather, is the upcoming meeting of Ministers on the EU Mercosur agreement. We all know there is a serious threat to beef. There is potential for significant tonnage of beef to be imported from South America on top of what has already been taken in. Our beef and livestock sectors are significant to us. Some 90% of output is exported and the sectors are worth €2.5 billion to the Irish economy. An estimated 100,000 farmers are involved and 20,000 people are employed in marts, merchants, transport and input supplies. This could have far-reaching consequences, more immediate than Brexit.

Farmers will be competing with countries we are better than in respect of traceability, food safety, animal health and environmental standards. I presume the Minister will attend the meeting. How does the Minister see us positioned? We have allies in the French. This is serious. We have invested seriously in agriculture. Everything needs to be done to protect the interests of the farmer. If we do not protect the farmer, we will end up not meeting the targets in respect of Food Wise 2025 and so on. There will be a further exodus of farmers from the land.

Another issue that I raised previously will not go away any more than the bad weather will not go away. This relates to climate change and the requirements on the agricultural sector. Farmers are getting a great deal of unbalanced or bad press. Previously when the Minister was in the House, I cited the analysis done in the Citizens' Assembly. It was altogether unfair. I have heard from Department officials who are charged with this area of all the efforts and significant measures farmers have had to take and are taking. More will be needed - no one is disputing that whatsoever. However, farmers are already weighted down with all the efforts they must make, none of which are recognised at conventions such as the Citizens' Assembly. This must be disappointing for farmers.

I saw an interview from the European Parliament on Monday. I was rather shocked at one of our MEPs, the Sinn Féin MEP, Ms Lynn Boylan. Basically, she slammed farming practices in Ireland. Furthermore, she stated that our ambition to increase exports of dairy to Asia was unsustainable. Apart from being unpatriotic in the face of us dealing with Mercosur negotiations, Brexit and the new Common Agricultural Policy, in respect of which we are already coming under pressure from significant green lobbies, it shows considerable ignorance of all the efforts farmers are making. Almost every scheme or agricultural practice is informed by environmental considerations. Farmers play a considerable role in ensuring water quality, biodiversity and climate change. Since 1990 there has been a 6% reduction in agricultural emissions notwithstanding a 40% increase in output from farmers. Ms Boylan did not seem to know, or it did not seem to bother her, that we are the most efficient in the world in carbon emissions in the dairy sector and the fifth-most efficient when it comes to beef in Europe. There was singling out of farmers and a suggestion that dairy should be pulled back and that we should reduce the suckler herd and so on. The reality where I live is that we have the co-operative Aurivo as well as several other co-operatives. Larger co-operatives such as Kerry and Glanbia would shut down if we did not look for export markets. Why not get dairy and beef from the most carbon-efficient producers, such as Ireland?

We have carbon emissions and work remains to be done. However, given that it is the biggest industry in the country, the comments represent poor form at a time when we need to see solidarity in Europe. We need to see people fighting our corner. Many people would like to pull the rug from under us, whether in respect of corporate tax or our farming. Moreover, I am keen to note all the success stories that have made up the recovery of our economy.

A body of work needs to be undertaken now. This is something the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine encountered on a visit to Europe. We found a lack of awareness or appreciation of the work that farmers and the Government are trying to do at every step. Everyone is responsible for every step.

If I were to be more critical about where we are going with carbon emissions, I would single out transport. I am unsure why anyone would single out farming. Transport is lagging behind like no other sector. It is discouraging to encounter the singling out of farming. This is something we have discussed before. We are trying to bring people along. That is how real change with an impact occurs. We cannot say extreme and ridiculous things to people, such as that farmers should get rid of their animals. There has been no recognition of all the efforts that have been taken. As a result, people disengage. We are going to lose the battle on climate change.

This is a very nuanced situation. As we face into the new CAP further environmental requirements will be made of Ireland. I hope farmers will be properly compensated for that. If more is being asked of farmers, farmers will need more compensation. That has to be put into the mix.

I am calling for a more balanced debate among politicians and in the media. Where groups such as the Citizens' Assembly engage in such debates, proper and full information should be available. No one takes from the green lobby and what those involved have to offer. We all have to wake up to that. However, if we do not have a rounded debate, we will leave people behind us.