At the outset, I acknowledge the work of Deputy Collins, his colleagues and Mr. Honohan and the work and consideration that has gone into the Bill. I also acknowledge that the intentions behind the Bill are genuine and that the primary concerns of the Deputies are based on protecting the family farm. We all share that concern. The family farm is the bedrock of our €14 billion export sector and it ensures a balanced regional economy. It plays a huge role in the fabric of all our lives. The Irish farming model is alm…

I thank all the contributors for the assessment of and perspectives on the Bill. Like the Deputies here, I am committed to protecting the Irish family farm model. To prosper, we need to ensure farming is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. As well as ensuring the Common Agricultural Policy works for Irish farmers and that we provide other appropriate supports when required, I work across Government on issues such as access to finance. Access to finance is the lifeblood of any business, and farms…

I am sure Senator O'Sullivan will join with me in welcoming the Fermoy students here today and their teacher. I hope the students enjoy their day in the Seanad and the Dáil. I thank Senator Conway for raising this important issue. I have been engaging with Senator Dooley, Oireachtas colleagues and Deputies Crowe and Carey, along with Senator Conway, who have been raising this important issue. We have been discussing, addressing and considering the issues over the last few weeks. I had committed to coming back about…

I thank Senator Conway. It is about striking the balance between increasing the number of participants and ensuring good payments for those who participate. The EIP schemes of which there were a number of over the past few years and of which there will be more in years ahead was very much about piloting new initiatives so that we could learn from them and then incorporate them on a much wider scale. That is what is happening now as regards the Burren EIP and it is also what is happening in case of the hen harrier E…

I move: That the proposal that Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2022, copies of which were laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on the 13th October, 2022, be referred to the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, in accordance with Standing Order 95(5), which, not later than 30th November, 2022, shall send a message to the Dáil in the manner prescribed in Standing Order 101, and Standing Order 100(2) shall accordingly apply.

I did not hear the Deputy mention once in his contribution the valuable contribution that the thoroughbred and horse racing sectors make to our national economy or indeed the fact that it supports 29,000 jobs across the country and underpins a thoroughbred industry that has an annual economic impact of €1.84 billion. I did not hear him mention that once and I do not think that is something he is too concerned about either. It is one of the sectors and industries in which Ireland is a true global leader. The broad g…

If the Deputy crossed the M50 on occasions other than just to attend protests in parts of the country-----

Do you?

If the Deputy headed west, north or south for any reason other than attending protests, he would learn quickly that the thoroughbred and racing sectors are important employers and important parts of the rural economy. As I said to the Deputy, and he did not reference this in his response, the industry is responsible for and contributes to 29,000 jobs in the country. The thoroughbred sector in this country competes with anywhere in the world in its scale and the global impact it makes. We have jobs and €1.8 billion …

That has not happened by accident. It is the result of deliberate and consistent Government policy which underpins the sector. If the Deputy travelled for anything other than protests, he might attend a race meeting now and again-----

-----and learn and realise that the thoroughbred industry revolves around racing. Horses are bred and trained for racing. The industry revolves around races. It is, therefore, important that we have racing in this country that can compete with the rest of the world to underpin the sector. That is why the Government invests in the sector. That investment ensures the sector continues and grows. It ensures that we can compete with racing industries in other parts of the world and continue to be world leaders. In doing…

-----for how to run the thoroughbred sector-----

-----or any other part of the economy.

The ACRES scheme is one that the Deputy has promoted strongly and will be of significant benefit to farmers in his constituency. Indeed, it has been warmly welcomed and embraced by farmers across the country. It is a logistically tight timeframe in relation to making applications. It is necessarily so because of the timeframe involved in getting approval for it from the European Commission and also having the application submitted in time for the end of this year so we can have as many farmers as possible in this s…

At 3.18 p.m. on 7 October 2022, a moment happened that will be etched into the souls of the people of Donegal for generations. Ten people going about their daily routine had their lives cut short in an event that spread across the world. The lives of young Shauna Flanagan Garwe and her dad Robert Garwe, Catherine O’Donnell and her son James Monaghan, Leona Harper, Jessica Gallagher, James O’Flaherty, Martin McGill, Martina Martin and Hugh Kelly were lost, and we mourn them. Donegal people stretch far beyond the 4,8…

I thank Senator McGreehan for putting this issue on the agenda today. It is certainly not the first time she has raised it with me. She has been a very strong advocate for the sheep sector throughout the CAP process and since then as she has been for the agricultural sector and family farms across the board. The short-term and long-term viability of our beef and sheep farmers is a key priority for me, as it is for the Senator. Having grown up, like her, on a sheep farm in County Donegal, I am acutely aware of the i…

I thank the Senator again for raising the issue. The sheep welfare scheme has been a popular one among sheep farmers. It is regarded as being straightforward, accessible, practical and very useful in terms of the measures contained in it. The funding has been welcomed. There has been a request for additional funding, for which Senator McGreehan has strongly advocated, over the last couple of years. Thankfully, over the last three to four years sheep prices have been much stronger than they have been in recent years…

Nice try.

The Senator should have known with a Kerryman in the Chair.

I thank the Acting Chairperson and Senators Lombard and Carrigy. I welcome the opportunity to address this issue in the Seanad. The Minister of State, Senator Hackett, is otherwise engaged and could not be here. I am happy to address the matter. We want to be in a position to ensure people have clarity about the new rates before the start of January in order that they can plan and afforestation will proceed. The programme will be 100% funded by the Exchequer, as has been the case for previous forestry programmes. I…