Martin Heydon

I propose to take Questions Nos. 93 and 143 together. My Department implements a number of measures annually to raise awareness of fire risks among forest owners, managers, farmers and other land managers. My Department monitors fire risk throughout the fire season in conjunction with Met Éireann and communicates high-risk fire weather phases in advance to the forest sector and other relevant st…

I do not disagree. The Deputy articulated very clearly how her constituents in the Cooleys, and people in many mountainous areas countrywide, are deeply affected by wildfires that happen for a variety of reasons. Obviously some of what she described is criminal activity with very serious consequences for our wildlife, habitats and countryside and needs to be dealt with. It is important to recognis…

I again thank the Deputy for raising what is a really important issue. Sometimes we do not talk about these facts until after an incident when it is too late and the damage has affected our landscape, wildlife and farmers. It comes back a little to the relationship between landowners in the area and members of the public who maybe live in a more urban setting and love to share that amenity. That i…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 98, 125 and 126 together. Ireland is a relatively small market in respect of fertiliser sales and usage compared with many of our EU neighbours. No fertilisers are manufactured in Ireland, as the Deputy knows, and this results in indigenous fertiliser companies being price-takers. Those prices are dependent on global supply and demand. An estimated 35% of global u…

The geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East is the key driver of this problem. It has put pressure on fertiliser prices and affected the likely availability of fertiliser over the course of the year. As I said, the EU Commission is bringing forward a fertiliser action plan next week. It is anticipated that this plan will focus not only on short-term crisis support but also on structural measur…

The fertiliser database gives us good data in relation to where we are at. Fertiliser continues to be imported into the country and the database indicates that is sufficient fertiliser in the country at present. However, products such as urea may come into short supply. We continue to monitor the price as well. To the broader point made by Deputy Moynihan about wind generation, one would not look…

Hear, hear.

Let the Minister speak.

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

I thank Deputy Whitmore for raising this important matter. I thank her for facilitating it being moved to today so that I could take it myself, which I wanted to do. I also thank the Minister of State, Deputy Grealish, for having taken the Bill in my absence the last time it was discussed. Animal welfare in general comes under the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine but, as the Deputy w…

In trying to prepare for this debate, I was not sure which element of horse welfare and dog welfare the Deputy would raise. I will amend what I will say on the basis of the targeted nature of her question. We have done a lot in the area of equine control and supporting equine charities and animal welfare charities in general in terms of the work I do in my Department as well as on supporting the d…

You have your video clip now, Richard. You are happy.

Like you did in the North?

I regret the decision of Michael Healy-Rae today. I acknowledge his role as Minister of State with responsibility for forestry and as a good colleague in the Department of agriculture over the past 15 months. As a sector, we in agriculture face plenty of challenges. It is my job to fight for and defend agriculture in the best interests of our farmers, fishers and agrifood sector and because of it…

By supporting the agrifood sector and our hauliers and all those reliant on fuel who play a role in getting food from farm to fork, we support everyone.

We have a choice to make here. Those in opposition can attempt to either dismiss or ignore these supports and try to prevent their introduction or they can choose to engage with me and my Department on their roll-out to those who need them most. The choice is theirs.

I do note that the bully boys in the corner never said a word when I was speaking, unlike their interventions when my female ministerial colleagues were speaking.

It is 27.4 cent on a litre.

You are misleading people.

It works both ways.

In responding to the debate, I thank Deputies for raising the points they did. I will go through some of them. Deputy Doherty started off with a fascination with ordinary people. I am not sure who the extraordinary people are who he is not talking about. There are only ordinary people. They are all ordinary people. Somehow he has a monopoly on understanding what ordinary people have to go through …

It was a pensioner who could not afford meat as part of her diet. The Deputy specifically mentioned food on a number of occasions. If we do not intervene with the support of our €100 million package for the agrifood sector, it will have a direct impact on the cost of inflation. Energy is the biggest driver of inflation. Food inflation will absolutely have an impact on workers, so telling workers t…

I am making the point. I am not attacking. I am making the point that the interventions the Government has brought in, and the packages beyond the excise measures we are voting on here, will directly support all people in their lives and will help to avoid the cost-of-living crisis that impacts on everyone. Things do not happen in isolation. Deputy Hearne talked about people not being able to cov…

He might correct the record.