Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of the upcoming carbon budget. There has been some coverage of it on national media recently and it will be a worthwhile project as part of our programme for Government. I come from a very successful farming region in the midlands. We need assurances the agricultural sector will be afforded adequate funding. Farmers will have to pull their weight on this but they will need the funding to go hand in hand, leading to sustainable means of production.There will also be new opportunities in the areas of genomics, grasslands, feedstuffs, carbon sequestration and potential alternative energy production. I refer to the generation and use of such energy on farms themselves and its feeding into the national grid.

One of the biggest problems we face and one of the biggest transformations we must make is in the area of carbon budgets and the changes required in energy networks in that regard. I refer to the ESB and the national grid tapping into the energy generated on farms. There is a serious complication in this area and the ESB must put its shoulder to the wheel in this regard as well. I am seeking assurances from the Leader regarding this issue. It is easy to talk about our herd numbers and there being a need to cull them. The figures speak for themselves and there is no doubt about that. I am also sure, however, that farmers will make these changes if they are given an option in the context of all the modern ways in which it is now possible to address these issues and if good funding is also provided.