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Dáil
‹ An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

Agriculture and water quality

Summary

Michael Fitzmaurice challenged what he saw as unfair criticism of farming and cited an Oxford study on sewage being worse for rivers than agriculture. The Taoiseach agreed that farmers are unfairly targeted, while insisting climate action is still necessary.

A few comments have been made already by people in here who do not know a lot about farming and the record needs to be corrected. The University of Oxford has done a study. It is printed in the Irish Farmers' Journal, for anyone who wants to read it. The article, entitled, "Sewage worse for rivers than farming", refers to treated or untreated sewage. The Deputies should get the Irish Farmers' Journal and have a read of that article. They might learn something about agriculture.

To get back to my question on policy or legislation, under agriculture, is the Taoiseach concerned about the Agriland figures published today? The number of cattle in the country has reduced by 4% to 6% in the past year, the suckler herd has gone down again and the number of sheep has also reduced by a large amount. Will the Government do something about that?

Comment on this
Simon Harris The Taoiseach Fine Gael

The Deputy is entirely right to call out the scare tactics that are applied in relation to farmers and agriculture. It is going on for far too long. Farmers have mental health, well-being and a livelihood. They have a family. They have a mortgage to pay, like everybody else in this country. People in this House speak about farmers in a way they would not speak about any other sector of the Irish economy. It has to stop. They do it for reasons of populism rather than reasons of science. Climate change is real and climate action is needed. Farmers need to change. They know it and they do not need a lecture from people who have never been on a farm in respect of how to make progress. I agree with the Deputy on this issue.

As regards the Agriland article and survey today, I am concerned because I believe it is entirely possible to continue to produce good, high-quality food in this country and save our planet, which is on fire. When one is elected to Government, one has to do more than one thing at a time. One does not have to set up straw man arguments that it is a choice of being on the side of the farmer or the side of the planet; one has to support both.

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