Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the announcement by An Bord Pleanála that planning permission has been granted for the Celtic interconnector between Ireland and France. This is hugely important for energy supply and for the exchange of electricity between Ireland and France. I hope that one day it will be part of an exporting cable for naturally produced wind energy as well. In the meantime, we will be takers of electricity from France. This connectivity to a European Union partner is hugely important for energy security. I certainly welcome the decision. We often give out about delays in the planning process but, thankfully, this is something that has now been granted by An Bord Pleanála.

I was at an Irish Farmers' Association, IFA, meeting last night in Corrofin in Galway organised by the Connacht IFA on the concerns around import costs and food security in the coming year. It was a well-attended event. The EEC was established to ensure the security of supply of food across the European Union after the ravages of World War II. It was hugely important. In some way, perhaps the Union has become a little complacent over the years and thought that this was no longer an issue. The illegal invasion of Ukraine and the war there has put a different perspective on that, which is worrying. The message from some of the farmers yesterday was that there was concern now around the supply of food in the Union. Import costs are a huge concern with regard to fertiliser and meal. Ukraine is regarded as the breadbasket of Europe and perhaps people were not as aware of its importance until issues arose because of the war and supply constraints. The farmers are gravely concerned about the cost of fertiliser and the supply of fertiliser into the future. I welcome all the supports that have been provided by the Government and the Minister and Ministers of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I look forward to the details of the fodder scheme that is due to be announced. This could see a payment of up to €1,000 for farmers. That will mitigate some of the costs and is extremely important. However, I ask for a debate on agriculture, food supplies and food security in the coming weeks. We still have a chance to ensure that there will be no fodder shortage next winter or in the early spring, and it is behoves us all to ensure that everything is put in place to ensure that such a shortage does not happen.