Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I call for a debate on the future of agriculture in this country. We hear an awful lot of talk about it, especially with COP26 going on. There is an awful lot about what could and should be done. Are we reaching a point where we will start paying, especially marginalised farmers on poor land, to be unproductive, pick blackberries once a year in September and stand at a gate for a tourist? It seems we have no plan on what we will do with agriculture. There are incredibly environmentally-friendly marginalised farmers on hill farms and special areas of conservation who are very productive and eco-friendly. These farmers need to be protected. They are on small family farms and provide an incredible amount to their local economy because nearly everything a farmer earns goes back to his or her community. We need a proper, strong and honest debate in this House on the future of agriculture.