John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to the House. I echo the comments made by many of my colleagues on these amendments. Senator Boyhan, who has left the Chamber, expressed concern about the time constraints but yet spent five minutes criticising Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and questioning the validity of us standing up for rural Ireland and the agricultural community. I make absolutely no apology for doing so and nor does my party. The agricultural community and rural Ireland have led this country out of many recessions and will do so out of the current constraints we have as a result of Covid-19.

I have said before and I will say again that we cannot achieve our carbon emission targets without every sector, company, organisation and citizen playing their part. Agriculture will certainly do this and will not be found wanting. Farmers are the custodians of the land and it affects them more than many of us. Although it is an issue that affects all of us and the planet as a whole, farmers see the effects of climate change on their land and farms on a daily basis and they take it exceptionally seriously. The amendments we are tabling are sensible and practical and I hope the Minister will take them on board. If we go anywhere in Europe we see fields as far as the eye can see. We do not see hedgerows and trees delineating parcels of the land as we do in Ireland. It is only right and proper that credit is given for this in carbon sequestration.

With regard to bringing everybody along with us on this journey, I would like to mention the court decision made this morning not to allow leave to appeal to An Taisce to challenge further the decision on awarding planning permission for Glanbia to build at €140 million continental cheese plant in Belview. This has been decided by An Bord Pleanála, Kilkenny County Council and now the High Court with a decision by Mr. Justice Humphreys. I am sure the Minister will echo what I say. I ask him to call on all parties involved to engage in constructive dialogue outside the courts. Inside the courtroom no longer has a role to play in this. We can always do things by sitting around the table and talking about them constructively. I certainly hope this will happen. I thank the Minister for bringing this groundbreaking legislation to the House. I certainly hope he will accept the amendments being tabled.