Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I warmly welcome the Minister to the House. This is perhaps one of the most important pieces of legislation we will be discussing. I am fully supportive of agriculture. I am from a family that is steeped in agriculture and the very humble but very rewarding trade of cattle dealing. We do not see too many cattle dealers around today but that is where my stock is and my origins are and I am always proud to touch base with that. I support agriculture, as everyone does.

The first few speakers all teed up in the first slots of this debate to set out their credentials for agriculture. That is wise and politically clever and very astute. In the next few days, people in their homes will no doubt see extracts of these debates on "Prime Time" or newsreels and it is always important that what politicians are saying is reflected on the ground. However, it has to be more than simply words. There are 142 amendments on Committee Stage. Amendment No. 1 is from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, which are in government with the Green Party. I would be surprised if the Minister does not accept that amendment. I hope he does and I am in favour of it. However, that is the only amendment in the names of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, which speaks to their commitment to agriculture. That is an important point. That is not to suggest or imply anything because I respect these colleagues in the House. It is their right to submit amendments and they may do so later, on the next Stage of this Bill. I hope they will stick with us for many of the other amendments we will be discussing today.

We have a lot of work to do here today so I do not intend to use too much time. I will speak to my amendments but we have too much business to get through and I do not want these debates to be guillotined. They are guillotined because of how we have allowed them to eat into our time but it is up to each Member how to use his or her time. That is the democratic system and I am not suggesting that they should in any way cut down on that.

These are critical amendments and I am going to support both of them. We talk about just transition, agriculture, farm incomes and the CAP. Senator Chambers is right that there is a new emphasis in the CAP negotiations on eco systems and encouraging, assisting and supporting farmers. They do not need too much encouragement but they need practical and financial support so they can pursue new eco systems. Those systems may be less productive or less profitable and so the farmers must be supported and compensated. I hope the Minister will accept these amendments.

Amendment No. 92 is in the name of Senator Paul Daly, who is an outstanding Senator. I work with him on the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine and he is always there. He is always at the table, advocating for agriculture and farmers, particularly those in his own native Westmeath where there are a lot of smaller farmers. Sometimes they get lost in the bigger debate because farming in this country is so diverse. Farms range from very small 30-acre Land Commission holdings to hundreds of acres, depending on what part of the country they are in.

The Minister has said time and again that we need to bring everyone with us on this journey and I believe him. It will be a longer journey than some might have thought. It will take time. It has to be a just transition and a fair transition. It has to be a just climate and we cannot leave people behind. My concern is that so many people feel they are going to be left behind. That may not always be the case but that is what they feel. We need to reassure them, travel with them and take this journey with them to support them and sustain agriculture but more important, sustain our rural communities. I look forward to the debate. I again welcome the Minister and I hope he will accept these two very simple and reasonable amendments.