Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I would also like to single out Senator McGreehan as part of that collaborative approach. We brought a Commencement matter together on this issue. I also acknowledge the support of Senators Boylan and Seery Kearney. Senator Seery Kearney's modesty pervades her when it comes to beekeeping but she is a respected member of the Law Library and would know this area of law and the legalities of it sit easily with her. It is also good to have her support.

The members of the Native Irish Honey Bee Society, NIBS, are the volunteers on the front line. They are not paid officials and do this for love and dedication. They know the price of this and what is at stake. As was said, this was tested in the courts when biodiversity was less in vogue and it stood the test in the Court of Justice of the European Union, ECJ, in the Denmark case. There is what is called a precedent there.

I thank Sinn Féin. I lost my two Green Party colleagues and representatives in the recent election in Northern Ireland, Rachel Woods and Clare Bailey, who gave us a voice there but this is beyond politics. For Sinn Féin, Stormont should be up and running as soon as possible. This biodiversity crisis knows no borders and does not recognise party political coloured jerseys.

To draw a far-fetched sporting analogy, there was a team in the English soccer Premier League years ago that just wanted to stay up and not get relegated and it occasionally tried to score on the break. They were defensive and not offensive and the full team was accused of parking a bus in front of the goals. It is not time to park the bus now but is time for what the Netherlands did in the 1970s, which was to play total football and to be proactive. We do not have time to hang around.

This is a crisis. The planet is burning and time is not on our side. We have declared a biodiversity and climate emergency. What does that mean in practical terms? This is a golden opportunity. We have to go beyond decade-old concerns which have been in the Department for years that there will be a trade war. Will all butter be banned? Really, this is not going to happen. There are exceptions laid down and people cannot afford to be conservative.

There is a potential to develop jurisprudence here and this approach may be judge-led and created, where there is positive discrimination in favour of ambition and of giving the bounce of the ball to being proactive to protect our climate and our biodiversity, if it is the case that this protection does not come through legislation. I foresee that because the EU is a changed place. It is no longer a cold home. It is a very welcoming and radical home for the protection of our environment.

It is crucial that we preserve a vital piece of Europe’s biological treasury. To take up the issue raised by Senator Joe O’Reilly, there are some who will not like this and for whom this will not be music to their ears, namely, commercial importers of non-native species. We have many commercial beekeepers, however, of native bees and this measure is not just for people who have a hobby.

I will conclude by saying that all of the representative bodies support this. In respect of the few people who may not, I received four emails when I introduced this Bill last October, all from people who worked in the commercial sector who imported the non-native species. They must be respected and listened to as it could affect their livelihood. We must support them in this step change and in adapting a new way for them, show them that it is not the end of the road and that they can bring this forward.

At the end of the day, with the indulgence of the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, I omitted to mention the economic value of this legislation. Trinity College Dublin prepared a report for the Environmental Protection Agency on the market and non-market value of pollination services in Ireland. It found from these data that the global value of animal pollination to crop production was estimated to be $158 billion to $412 billion. Using the same approach, the annual value of animal pollination to home-produced crops in Ireland was estimated to be €20 million to €59 million per year. We do not need the economics but it is also on our side.

This is more important than pounds, shillings and pence. This is a biodiversity crisis. We cannot undo it if it happens. The Germans are very upset that they let their bee go. We have to stand up for our bee and to be ready for action. We have to go big or go home and we cannot fall aside for lack of ambition. It is time to be very proactive and not to be afraid of litigation. We are doing the right thing. If truth, justice, resilience and prioritisation of biodiversity are on our side, we cannot go too far wrong. Gabhaim buíochas.