Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I thank the Fine Gael Senators for tabling this motion. It is a wide-ranging motion and I do not intend to speak on every aspect of it. I will address the issues around the areas of natural constraint payments, animal welfare and the Mercosur deal.

Last week, I met representatives of the IFA, who stressed the importance to farmers in Sligo-Leitrim that the Government resisted European attempts to cut the CAP and that payments under the ANC increased by €50 million to €300 million. This is a sector where the word "simplification" is bandied about in the context of multiple schemes. I often hear from farmers that there are associated bureaucracies and red tape. The areas of natural constraint scheme, however, seems straightforward and is paid with little bureaucracy in September each year. These payments help farmers with the back-to-school and college costs. We all know that farmers spend their money locally, so it goes back into the local economy. The area I represent includes higher ground and poor ground, as well as island farmers. They all support this scheme. It is important for the farmers in Sligo and Leitrim. Unknown to me until I started looking into it, this scheme pays 75% of farmers. I understand from the farmers I met last week that the ANC was reduced during the austerity years after the crash and this €50 million should be reinstated immediately. We in the Labour Party are calling for that in our alternative budget, which will be published tomorrow. Many of the farmers who are eligible for this ANC payment contain land parcels subject to GAEC 2. I would remind the Minister of the commitment he gave to farmers last year that the implementation of GAEC 2 would not affect their day-to-day activities and would not result in the implementation of fines on farmers who continued to farm those lands.

I am pleased to see concern for poultry and pigs shown in the motion with the call for capital investment to improve animal health and welfare. Not only is improved animal welfare good in its own right, but the health and welfare of animals have a direct impact on human well-being and health and on the environment, including - I do not need to tell the farmers in this room this - water quality, which can be affected by slurry and waste, which in a factory farm setting need to be disposed of in vast quantities. Recently, my office met representatives of Ethical Farming Ireland, who stressed that there was a general conviction in the Government that animal welfare was important. That is fantastic, but nothing concrete has resulted from that conviction. However, I welcome the sentiment and will wait to see what is done to improve the lives of pigs, poultry and cattle that can be sold at marts at just ten days old and exported live outside the EU and beyond EU protections at just 15 days old. We all know that the ill-treatment of livestock is bad for the animals but it is also bad for humans and the environment.

The Mercosur trade has been spoken about. Unfortunately, I missed the opening remarks of the Minister, Deputy Heydon. Mercosur is a disaster for the environment and farmers. I talked to farmers at the ploughing championships. Irish farmers are receiving a decent price for the top-quality beef they produce. They have made strenuous efforts to reduce their carbon footprints in line with Government policy and are doing their very best to help us to meet our legally binding climate targets. After doing this, there is a worry that the rug is going to be pulled out from underneath them by the Mercosur deal of the EPP, which is Fine Gael's grouping in the EU. If we allow the importation of 99,000 tonnes of South American beef into the European market, the negative consequences for Irish farmers will be stark. As was said previously, the beef produced in South America is not subject to the same strict requirements as that produced in Europe in respect of traceability, animal welfare, and health and safety. Beef can be produced cheaper and in greater quantity there than it can be here. It can also be produced without any regard to environmental standards. Beef production in South America is responsible for 65% of tropical deforestation. It would be utter hypocrisy to impose environmental standards and nature restoration requirements on Irish farmers while allowing the importation of beef from South America at the same time.

I would like the Minister of State to confirm whether a carbon leakage assessment has been carried out against the implementation of the Mercosur deal. A carbon leakage assessment is required under the 2021 climate Act before any policy can be implemented. Carbon leakage is defined by the Act as "the transfer, due to climate policies, of production to other countries with less restrictive policies with regard to greenhouse gas emissions". We cannot allow the export of our climate responsibilities to South America to facilitate the importation of cheap beef.

Farmers and the rural communities they sustain are the backbone of our country. I know there are many farmers here and they are the stewards of our environment. They, and not cheap imports of Brazilian beef, are the guarantors of food safety and food security. They will help us to reach our carbon emissions targets.