The damage to the environment by the agriculture sector in Ireland “is far less than anyone else’s in the world,” according to Independent TD for Kerry, Michael Healy-Rae.
Deputy Healy-Rae told the Dáil today (Wednesday, June 28) that Ireland is a leader in producing milk, beef and lamb “because we base it on growing grass”.
“We are better at farming than anyone else,” he stated.
During a heated debate today on a motion regarding culling the national herd – brought to the Dáil by the Rural Independents group – the Kerry TD asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, what he was “doing to agriculture?”.
Deputy Healy-Rae said: “It is like death by a thousand cuts. That is what he is doing to agriculture. He cannot get away from it.”
He also told the Dáil that farmers were “not happy with this government and are not happy with what the minister and his department are proposing for them”.
“They are not happy with the mixed messages the government is giving. Before it was a case of increase, which is what people did. They reclaimed land at an awful cost to themselves,” Healy-Rae said.
“They worked very hard to turn brown and wet ground into green ground. They built sheds and expanded their slurry storage capacity. They did everything right.
“They are the real green party. They are the real custodians of the countryside. They are the people who nurture the countryside, who work there, who keep it green, who keep it right,” he said.
Earlier in the debate Minister McConalogue told the Dáil that the government had not put forward any proposal to cull the national herd.
“However, we have been engaging with farm organisations and all stakeholders on how we continue our great tradition and important role in this country of food production while reducing the emissions footprint of how we produce that food and achieve the 25% target by 2030 in the agri-food sector.
“We are working very closely with farm representative organisations in that regard,” the minister said.
According to Minister McConalogue farm representative organisations have said that Ireland can meet the 25% target.
“Farmers are up for doing that and want to do that. They are often very poorly served by the narrative that is out there and the discussion that often suggests they are not up for it.
“The reality is they are up for it and we, as a government, are working very closely with them to support them in doing so. We are working collaboratively in that regard,” the minister added.