I wish to raise the serious predicament in which many farmers find themselves as a result of continuous pressure from the Green Party Ministers in the Government. The first thing is the proposed 25% reduction in emissions, resulting in a cull of 200,000 cows by 2030. Then there is the cost of carbon tax. Then we have the Chinese boasting that they will be increasing their herd by over 1 million cows this year.

The nature restoration Bill was passed in the EU Parliament on 27 February and was supported by all Government MEPs, including our local MEPs, Seán Kelly and Billy Kelleher. This was very disappointing. This Bill sets out that 20% of our land and sea areas must be taken out of food production and rewet by 2030. This could mean that homes could be flooded. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, is very concerned and says that this was not thought out properly. This will also affect smaller farmers in areas on the western seaboard areas like south and north Kerry that benefit from the provisions of the Arterial Drainage Act 1945 and grant-aided schemes and from their own hard work, their own sweat and blood. They slaved to make their places productive. Now, in one fell swoop, all their work will be nullified and wiped out. This is all because of the Green Party's agenda and the Government's lust and quest for power.

The reduction in the nitrates derogation demanded by the EU, which our Government did not defend properly, means many farmers will have to cut production or cull cows because they cannot rent or buy additional land. It is too expensive. Small farmers will not be viable. I know one farmer who will have to reduce the number of cows in his herd from 58 to 48. It will not be viable for him to continue. Why is the same focus of attention not being placed on local authorities and Irish Water, which is also polluting streams and rivers all over the country as many treatment plants are overburdened? Several treatment plants in Kerry need improvements and sewerage extensions. In addition, treatment plants need to be built in areas where there are none.

I attended a meeting in Moyvane last Friday night where more than 200 people launched their local development plan. The whole thing hinges on a new treatment plant or the present-day treatment plant being extended. They are pleading and begging for a treatment plant to be placed in Moyvane. Suckler farmers and beef bull breeders are deeply upset after building up efficient, sustainable breeds. All that work is compromised following the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation's changes to star ratings, demoting Charolais and Limousin and promoting Dexters. Many farmers have been disallowed from claiming back VAT in respect of much-needed improvements on their farms. Those who want to build extra slurry storage cannot even get planning. We have the most sustainable and efficient system of producing beef and dairy in the whole world. It is a fresh grass-based system.

Thank you, Deputy. You will have a chance to come back in.

I thank the Deputy for raising these issues. More generally, food production is essential. In the context of climate change, the resilience of our food production system and food security are absolutely essential. Rather than undermining our food production system, we will increase it. Tá géarghá ann an córas a threisiú agus a dhéanamh níos láidre. In that context, as the Deputy knows, we, including the Minister for agriculture, work with the farming community. The Deputy knows about the €1.5 billion in the flagship agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, which was developed by the Minister. What is interesting about that is that there is exceptional demand for it, with about 46,000 applications from farmers who wanted to be part of that and taken into tranche 1. The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, announced yesterday that all of the more than 9,000 applicants for tranche 2 of the scheme will be accepted, bringing the total number of participants in ACRES now to approximately 55,000 farmers. What that shows is that farmers are up for engaging with the Government to do the right thing.

I visited Timoleague last year. There was a project there, in a catchment area that includes Kilbrittain, Timoleague, Barryroe and other places, to monitor the situation as regards nitrates. That initiative showed the degree to which farmers were facilitating research on their farms in terms of water quality, subsoil types and so on. It was an education for me to be there. I listened to Philip Boucher-Hayes on the "CountryWide" programme last Saturday morning. An eloquent farmer from north Cork, near the border with Kerry, outlined a similar project and said that he regards himself as a guardian of the landscape and how, from a nature perspective, it is important for food production that there is good husbandry of the land, that the land is protected and that biodiversity is important to food production.

Sometimes the impression is given that farmers are against this and against that. Many farmers understand this and the need to ensure for the long term a food production system that will not undermine biodiversity and prepares us to enable us to adapt to climate change. Climate change is happening; the Deputy might have a different view. I have been in Galway and elsewhere, and the flooding that has happened is damaging food production systems. We have to adapt, and some of the ways of adapting are natural methods of adaptation. That is why healthy ecosystems matter for food and food security. It is also why the Deputy needs to be more balanced as regards the nature restoration law, because there are many positives that could come out of that law. It will take time, obviously, to implement. Its impact will not be immediate, but the law could be a positive in making sure we have a sustainable food production system for the long term.

Some farmers in the Golden Vale and places like that will survive. The places I am talking about have poorer soils. Many smaller farmers are going to be wiped out. What they cannot understand is - and we are all under the one sky - how the Chinese can increase their dairy herd by 1 million cows this year alone and how countries in South America can also increase the size of their herds and can cut down the Amazon forest. How is it that all that is happening under the same sky? The Chinese can increase the size of their herd and everything is grand once our dreamer of a Minister, Deputy Ryan, is happy. Our carbon footprint will be down and that of the Chinese will be up. That will be fine.

The fishing industry is almost gone - it has been nearly wiped out - because of inaction. Agriculture is next.

When farmers have to cut back so much, their business is no longer viable and they cannot stay on the land. It is a struggle at present. What has been done to farmers' sons and daughters in recent days? The category of licence for driving a tractor has been changed. They say you must have an articulated lorry licence to drive a tractor or do certain types of work. Will these lads be able to do the driving test on a tractor and get an articulated lorry licence for it? If the authorities are demanding they must have articulated lorry licences in order to drive tractors, will they be allowed to do the test on tractors?

We are over time, and we are on the wrong road.

The fishing industry is not gone at all.

It is on its last legs.

Obviously, Brexit had an impact. Agriculture is certainly not gone. If you look at us in the context of our relationship with most countries and if you look at the export table, all you will see is a rise in Irish exports of agricultural produce. For example, China has imported Irish milk and dairy products for quite some time.

There will not be any more. They are out of it now.

They will be. Saying it is dead and gone is an exaggeration.

It is not an exaggeration; it is the truth.

It is exaggeration.

Deputy, please.

The bottom line is that beef is also being exported to China. Anywhere I have been as Minister for Foreign Affairs, I have invariably been accompanied by someone from Bord Bia with new product lines and interested in exporting to new markets. We need a bit of balance and proportion.

I take the Deputy's point with regard to the farmers in the his area. In the context of the new Common Agricultural Policy and the next one, we need to support farmers in disadvantaged areas, which the ACRES scheme does, as well as other schemes, including those relating to biodiversity. I would increase the funding of those schemes. The carbon tax was introduced to allow us to give ring-fenced funding to farming. This means that if, for example, someone has to protect a rare species on their land, they will be adequately compensated-----

There is no fund to insure-----

-----not just for one or two years, but for a long time. This is so that we can protect our biodiversity. It is about getting incomes to farmers, which we are determined to do.

The farmers will be a rare species.

The Tánaiste says he travels the world. He does, but he would want to travel a bit more around his own country, his own county of west Cork and Kerry as well. He should stay at home a bit more and maybe he would know a bit more about what is going on.

I have been to Kerry. The Deputy knows I have been to County Kerry a great deal. I will see him in Killarney.

Deputies and Tánaiste, please.