Noel O'Donovan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like all the other speakers, I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. A comment was made earlier about politics being about listening. It is something all of us as politicians need to always remember. From my engagement with the Minister so far in his role, I know he is someone who cares deeply about our farming industry and farmers right across the country. As a public representative, I am very pleased to see him as the Minister, as are the farming bodies. I look forward to working with him in respect of the farmers of west Cork.

On west Cork, it is well known that farming and our rural way of life are extremely important. As mentioned already, farming is our key indigenous industry. I would argue that west Cork is where you will find some of the most resilient and resolute farmers in the country. Obviously, I might be slightly biased in this regard. In terms of beef, dairy, pig, sheep and tillage farmers, many of these farm types would be found right across west Cork. Comment was also made about the importance in economic terms of agriculture to the local economy. The figure estimated for what agriculture brings to the local economy in Cork is €6.3 billion, and this is the highest in the State. This clear financial importance of agriculture to our economy is only one of the reasons we need to do everything we can to support the industry and work on transitioning to a greener future in a sustainable manner.

Fine Gael has always stood for a CAP that protects farmers while also meeting our climate targets. I welcome the increase in funding for eco-schemes, but we must ensure these schemes are accessible for all farmers, especially those with smaller farms. Others have spoken here about the ACRES scheme. I welcome the Minister's words that he is acutely aware of the difficulties in this regard and I look forward to working with him to ensure these schemes are more resilient and will work better in the future for farmers, many of whom I represent.

I speak to farmers most days who talk about the immense challenges they are facing. These range across many fields, including the TB crisis, the nitrates derogation or the significant increase of input costs, which is making it increasingly difficult for farmers to maintain their profitability. All these difficulties play into the issue of an ageing farmer population. If we cannot provide prospective farmers with income stability, we cannot expect our young men and women to enter the industry. This chain of events will eventually have a disastrous impact on our productivity, competitiveness, traditional heritage and our rural way of life.

One of the most pressing issues facing the farming industry, and specifically the dairy sector, is the feared loss of the nitrates derogation, which Fine Gael is committed to working to retain. I know the Minister and his officials are making a strong case for this at EU level, specifically highlighting the uniqueness of our grass-based production model. We need to develop evidence-based solutions that will sufficiently support farmers in improving water quality. As has been mentioned, the Cabinet subcommittee on water quality will provide the agricultural sector with the confidence and knowledge that the nitrates derogation will be part of a national effort seeking to protect it. In positive and significant news yesterday from the EPA, the early insights nitrogen indicators suggest that nitrogen concentrations have fallen to their lowest levels in eight years. This is extremely welcome news. It is an important finding because it shows we are on the right track in terms of water quality, which is thanks to the immense work and participation of farmers in our communities. Undoubtedly, there is still more work to be done in terms of water quality, but this cannot happen without the participation of farmers. We need to hear about their experiences, their perspectives and their aims so we can work together to improve farming overall but especially how the industry interacts with our waters. As we look to improve on this aspect, we need to further encourage the engagement of local authorities with farmers in a co-operative approach to continue to address water quality issues. This is something I am really concerned about in some areas. Local authorities need to engage more pragmatically with farmers. I ask the Minister to make special mention of this when he is discussing the issue with the local authorities.

A major priority for us is to ensure that farmers are part of our transition towards a climate-friendly future. If there is one thing I hate in the discussion on farming and the environment, it is, at times, the rural-urban divide narrative that can come into the discussion and the blame game that can enter it as well. This is helpful to no one. Farms and farmers are a crucial part of our response to climate change and not providing them with adequate supports will only prolong our journey to a greener future. West Cork farmers and, indeed, farmers nationally are willing to transition to a more environmentally friendly Ireland. They just need the correct supports to achieve this goal. It is a massive task we are asking this sector to undertake. Therefore, we need to help it in every way to respond successfully to the changing environment. Collaborating with farmers and including them at every step will allow us to carry out our traditional farming heritage as we move to a more sustainable, productive and blossoming agricultural sector for the next generation of Irish farmers. Fine Gael has always sought a CAP that balances the traditions of Irish farming with the innovation it needs to continue in this new landscape. Across agricultural sectors, farmers, farming organisations, local authorities and our environmental bodies must work together to form practical solutions. The farmers I meet are progressive, understanding and, like the Minister, care deeply for the future success and viability of the industry. It is our job as legislators to ensure that policies and, indeed, this new CAP are fair, equitable and supportive.