Mattie McGrath: Defends Farmers, Demands Carbon Policy Clarity

I wish well to the Minister of State and I believe she was unwell during the week and I wish her well and wish her well in our works as well and happy Christmas to her and her family and indeed her other ministers dealing with this. During our pre-council statements here recently I raised the challenges that would emerge to Irish farming and Ireland's agricultural sector in the context of the EU commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, Minister. I did so while highlighting the findings of the European Commission Joint Research Centre report which found that Ireland was the most carbon efficient producer in European Union per unit of dairy production and the fifth most carbon efficient producer of beef per kilogram and that's their findings not ours. Minister I also asked what would be the policy position or guidance that would be given to the EU when it comes to outlining the ways in which we can and approach carbon neutrality by 2050. I would very much like to hear some detail, Minister, of that here today. If you cannot provide it I would like to ask you to commit to communicating the information to my office as soon as possible. The conclusions reached by the Council acknowledges that the transition to climate neutrality will bring sufficient significant opportunities such as potential for economic growth, for new business models and markets, for new jobs and technological developments. It also accepts however that achieving climate neutrality will require overcoming serious challenges and that work must go forward to put in place the enabling framework that benefits all member states and taking into account different national circumstances in terms of starting points. And we must establish our starting point very much I think so on that record, on that report of where we are with our carbon footprint and the good strides and achievements that we have made. We can't be totally demonising the farming community all the time. That's what's happening in this house abroad and elsewhere. And we need to stand up and assert our position and let them know from where we're starting on. We need to have to have to have to have to have to have. That is vital to remember, Minister. As I pointed out my remarks a few moments ago, Ireland and the Irish farmers have an excellent reputation in terms of reducing carbon emissions. And I met the farmers here yesterday a number of times and very few politicians did go out to meet them on the street. They don't want to be here on the street. And thankfully they left quite early yesterday evening and didn't cause much disruption they could have. They've been dismissed and demonised and treated. And it's totally unfair. And I wish, well, a temporary man, Tim Cullinan, the new president of the IFA incoming, elected just in Congress later. But we see the turnout, how low it was in the recent by-elections. And we see the low turnout in the vote at the IFA. Institutions are failing the people. The farming institutions and the EU institutions are failing the rural Ireland. They're failing the farm families. Totally. the environment. Nothing could be further from the truth. Further from the truth. As good custodians of the environment and of their animal, animal husbandry and all the other crop management and everything else and planting trees and doing all other kinds of work and interested in doing that. And there were young people that used to be as young as 10 and making tea inside their horse box for people and soup and everything else. And they are interested in the future. That's why they were here. Just not to cause trouble for the Dublin protests. And while we have a Minister for Agriculture almost absent. He was way of thought he was on holidays. I don't know where he was. Brussels, I think I said that to him. But he could have been on holidays for the last four years because he has paid lip service to them and doing nothing for them. So I want to point out, as I say, that farmers have an excellent reputation in terms of reducing carbon emissions. And day in, day out, they've been demonised in this house. They've been demonised in the media. They've been demonised all over. And it's your duty, Minister, at this level. That's why I asked before you went what you're going to bring to the table there. And I'm asking now to let us know in your reply or at least communicate with my office anyway as to what you put on the table as to what you put on the table. And you stood up and defended the people who put you in here. They are a responsible sector and they want to play their part. I can't reiterate that enough. Can't. And the farm organisations as well. That said, that thing, however, is that they're not getting tanked for their work on mitigating carbon. They don't want tanks. They're not getting, but they don't want it. They don't expect it, but they want to be recognised and respected for what they're doing. Instead, they are demonised, as I said, and held up as killers of the planet and other such nonsense. Patent nonsense. Unfair. Unnecessary. Unwarranted. This is going to present a very real challenge, not just for farmers, but for the entire economic model. The agri-food sector in Ireland in 2016 alone generated 7% of gross value added to the return of £13.9 billion and 9.8% of Ireland's merchandise export and provided 8.5% of national employment. That's nothing to be snuffed at. That is vital. That is vital. We protect it and sustain it. When employment in imports, processing and marketing is included, the agri-food sector accounts for almost 10% of all employment. 10% of all employment in our state. And that's no mean figure. And it has to be recognised, it has to be acknowledged and supported. But you're paying lip service to them. We fought so hard in the programme for government negotiations to have rule-proofing in every policy to win two. You must have shredded the document the hour after you went into government because nothing has been rule-proofed. I have yet to hear OSEANI proposals from the European Commission, which would be capable of protecting our economy from the kind of shock that would happen if we were to pursue this climate neutrality approach. The European Council, in its conclusion last week, also welcomed the European Commission's announcement that it will aim at facilitating the €100 billion worth of investment through the Just Transition mechanism. Lovely mouthful. This is the Just Transition mechanism. The fact is, however, that we have seen what Just Transition means in the Irish context, with the loss of jobs to the Midland region, and also in Tipperary and Nittleton, and the complete erosion of industries that have supported those counties for generations, with nothing to replace them. Absolutely nothing. The fund that you put in place wouldn't pay the influx to give them the redundancy. Quite simple. Is that pathetic? To get them into other businesses or other jobs or reskilled. Just transition is a great phrase. Sounds almost gentle, but the reality is quite different. In most cases, wherever it goes, it brings job losses with it, and hundreds of job losses, and thousands in these cases, and nothing to replace them. And we can't forget that, Minister. It's just shocking. So who is really benefiting, I ask, here, and what are we actually transitioning toward? Chin Kest. Kest Moor, I think, Minister, because there's a kind of sabotage going on here. And a lot of deceit, and a lot of pious platitudes, but we're not benefiting from it. And I don't, and I don't, it's in the world of benefit over anybody else. We want recognition and fair play. I always believe that fair play is fine play, as far as I consent. The reality is that many countries are expressing doubt and a great deal of caution around Europe is going to, where Europe is going with climate policy. And they are. It's not only us. We have seen this with respect to the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP25, held in Madrid. Those countries who were not wholehearted supporters of the COP25 agenda were accused of obstruction. Obstruction, if you wouldn't mind. When they presented specific concerns around the proposals, that would have negatively impacted their own economies. Where are we going if we can't have our representatives, and they want to have meaningful dialogue, and stand up to represent our people, and they're being, again, demonised as being obstructionists? That is an awful situation. If countries cannot bring forward objections to these forums, then what is the talk about consultation and agreement really about? Not a case more, Minister. Very big question. So we need to have our little country here recognised and the efforts that we made. I understand that Minister Broughton announced that Ireland is signing up to a multi-annual pledge to the Green Climate Fund, which helps developing countries make the transition, doubling our annual commitment. Doubling, with a contribution of 18 million for the period 19 to 23. That's a big commitment. This is an addition to the 196.7 million international climate finance Ireland has contributed from 2016 to 2018. This is not small money here. This is huge money in a small economy to developing countries. And Ireland has also committed an additional 3 million in total funding in 2019 to the least developed countries, which focuses its support to countries vulnerable to climate change. I support that. But we need to be acknowledged for what we're doing. While I am sure most of that is very worthy, indeed I'm going to suggest that there is still going to be a massive concern that we have given 200 million to international climate financing without any real public engagement. And thought we're obstructionists if we ask questions. To come back to Europe in Council, I do note that the Council invited the European Commission to report regularly on the socio-economic impact of the transition climate neutrality. That is something that we definitely do see more on here than we need to see. We have to know that social and economic impact of what we are signing up to. That information needs to be made widely available, Minister. And I would ask the government to make this kind of analysis much more readily available to the public so that they can assess for themselves the social price of our carbon commitments. And indeed, Minister, your spin team that you stood down, the five million team, you'd still do a lot of spinning. You might put some of that energy into telling our colleagues all over Europe and the world that we are, and especially our farming families and our farmers, are playing their part, have played their part, will play their part, always play their part, and are trying to be self-sufficient and export the best of beef. So I will remind you some bit of respect and fairness. Thank you very much.