Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Minister's contribution, and also those contributions from Members of the Seanad. I look at this process and I just wonder. At the moment we are bringing legislation through and then we will have a regulation coming afterwards. I understand that process, but I believe that the spirit of my amendment, which was to have a mediator, is a pragmatic approach. It is very hard to bring the legislation through and then on the other side be the person who is going to debate what the compensation package will be, which in effect is what the Department is going to do. I feel that the Minister and the Department have tied one arm behind the farmers' backs. They will have no control and no ability. They will have only a minor negotiation and if they are not happy they are not happy and that will be it.

When one considers what it is we are talking about, it is about the principle. We are closing down an industry, rightly or wrongly, because of Government policy. That Government policy is a huge step because there could be other changes in Government policy going forward and we could have more industries closed down. Look at where these areas are and the lack of a just transition fund. Other Members said that schools might even close. That would be a significant issue.

We need to see, if we possibly could, how a just transition package could be put in place with these three communities that are affected. There does not seem to be anything in this Bill about that. We have continually heard the terminology of "a just transition" in other areas, but I believe this is the first time it has come to the Seanad in a piece of legislation that one would say there needs to be an acknowledgement of a just transition. I do not believe we are seeing this in the Bill. I am deeply concerned about that.

We all know that the changes to come in agriculture are going to be severe. We all know the changes will have a huge impact on our communities. If we fail at the first item, which is the first piece of legislation coming forward, then I am very concerned about the entire agricultural industry going forward. As other Senators have stated, we will see significant changes in agriculture in the next 20 to 30 years. I cannot tell what those changes will be but they will have an impact on rural Ireland. We need to get this first step right and we need to get the principles behind it right. If we can do that, then hopefully we can move forward and the communities affected by these closures can be protected. It is key. We need to protect these communities if we possibly can.