Yes, and in Ballycotton, in the constituency of Deputy James O'Connor who advocated for it for so long.

There was a recent announcement of investment of €35 million in the processing sector. The heartland of the processing sector is Killybegs and all of the companies in the town will be able to avail of that funding, which is very significant. At national level, we are battling at all stages for additional quotas. The biggest single impact on our national quota and fisheries sector over the past generation has been Brexit. Deputy Pringle, who is from Killybegs, ardently supported and advocated for Brexit. While the D…

The phoney stuff comes mostly from the Deputy.

The Deputy mentioned the pig crisis. The first time he raised the pig crisis with me was in the week that I announced the scheme for the sector. He did so from the corner from which he usually makes his representations and noise but there was very little substance to what he said. His contribution was very much for a wider audience to give the impression that somehow he is delivering and representing a sector.

Very little of merit or substance comes from Deputy McGrath. The fodder scheme was raised, which is very important. The key message for all of us, which I will give again today, is that it is important that people do the best they can this year to grow grass, fodder, silage and tillage. That has been happening but over the course of this year we need to make a big effort to prepare for next winter and spring to make sure we are fodder secure. It is about doing that planning. Deputy Michael Collins stated that I had…

I echo the Cathaoirleach's welcome to our guests. I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this important topic. Generational renewal and ensuring that there is an avenue for the next generation to not only enter our great agriculture, food and farming sector but also to flourish is a core element of my strategy as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Despite the many challenges we face, I am convinced that there are bright and exciting opportunities both inside and outside the farm gate. I can assure the Senat…

I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this matter and for his ongoing and active interest in all matters agricultural, both in the Seanad and on the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, at which he is a consistent and effective contributor. The issue of generational renewal and retirement is very important. The Senator referred to my tour of the marts when I visited at least one mart in every single county. Every farmer in the country had an opportunity to engage directly with me, whatever the question…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I know it is something we have discussed before. Mackerel is the species most impacted by Brexit trade and co-operation agreement. Between now and 2026, we will lose 25% of our mackerel-----

I know that.

I heard the Deputy's question.

I am answering, but context is obviously really important. We have only a certain quota nationally. The point I am making is that 25% of that between now and 2026 will be lost due to the severe impact, particularly on mackerel, of Brexit. We have to manage what we have. There is no agreement that any of that would be reallocated from any of the sectors that currently use it to the inshore hook-and-line sector. At the moment, that sector, which is extremely sustainable, viable and important, gets 400 tonnes per year…

That is correct. There is not agreement among the sector on that. It is certainly something I am considering.

I am considering the matter but there has been no decision made in respect of it. This is not straightforward because fishers are not agreed on it.

As the Deputy may be aware, the programme for Government commits to the establishment of a new authority to enforce the unfair trading practices directive. It will have a specific role in analysing and reporting on price and market data in Ireland. In April 2021, I signed the statutory instrument transposing the unfair trading practices directive directly into Irish law before the 1 May 2021 deadline for transposition. At that time, I also established the unfair trading practices directive enforcement authority in …

I do not accept at all that my position has been minimal. This is a landmark move and landmark legislation establishing this office. It is something to which I was committed throughout my time in opposition and I ensured it was included in the programme for Government. I outlined to the public at the most recent general election my commitment to deliver this if I got into government. It was not a commitment in Sinn Féin's manifesto at that election. In some of its annual submissions, Sinn Féin has supported it, and…

The key objective here is to have an independent office that is statutory and has the credibility and independence to oversee what is going on in the marketplace and influence it in a way that ensures it is as fair as possible. The ultimate objective is to ensure fairness and fair play for primary producers, farm families and smaller and more vulnerable suppliers in the food supply chain. That is the objective. The office will oversee the unfair trading practices directive but a key role will also be assessing what…

I thank the Deputy for the question. Last year, Ireland ranked first for food security on The Economist global food security index, which ranks countries across indicators of affordability, availability, quality, safety, natural resources and resilience. The Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, is the key mechanism for ensuring food security throughout Europe. Significant implications of the Ukrainian crisis are being seen across all sectors of the economy, including agrifood. The immediate humanitarian crisis is a key…

I have strongly supported the tillage sector throughout my tenure as Minister. The new CAP outlines the doubling of protein aid and the inclusion of a strong co-operation measure, which can deliver up to €10,000 to a 100 acre tillage farm annually. There is an important role for tillage farmers to play. They have been proactive in providing leadership. Some 60% of our grain is imported, so I have introduced this scheme, delivering €400 for each additional hectare of grain grown this year. There has been a strong re…

We are aware of the need to have a sustainable and secure food system. Food Vision 2030 sets out a food systems approach to how we deliver that. All the stakeholders have come together to drive that on. It is important that we are sustainable in what we do. That is why we are seeking to reduce chemical nitrogen, to increase clover swards and to reduce emissions across the board, while keeping food security central to what we do and keeping food production up. That is important too. We should not take our eye off th…

Like the Deputy, I am aware of the increase in fuel costs, as well as the effects that this is having on our fishers. The Agriculture and Fisheries Council, AGRIFISH, meeting on 21 March initiated a debate on the impact of increasing fuel costs for the fishing industry. I emphasised to the Commissioner that these increased fuel costs come on top of difficulties that had already been created by Covid-19, as well as, of course, the impact of the quota reductions under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. I call…