Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is good to see the Acting Leader in the Chair today. Well done on that. I very much welcome our distinguished guests in the Visitors Gallery.

Today, I want to touch on two issues, the first being the IFA's Manifesto for European Parliament and Local Government Elections 2024. This manifesto covers both the European and local elections. I hear the IFA's asks at the doorsteps and from candidates across the country. What I like about its document is that it sets out key priorities and asks concerning the European Parliament elections and also the local elections, both urban and rural. That is an important point to make. The manifesto touches on the key issues of the CAP; the overregulation of the agriculture, food, horticulture and forestry sectors; the constant challenges around the nitrates directive; environmental fairness and, more important, our environmental-ambition planning, particularly regarding the local government elections; residentially zoned lands, particularly regarding the local elections; the challenges around ash dieback, both urban and rural, and what these mean for local authorities; connectivity in every sense of the word; environmental inspections and what some in the agriculture sector would deem to be overregulation; challenges concerning horticulture and food production, particularly vegetable production in north County Dublin but also in other parts of Ireland; and, of course, the issue of the new farmers' charter. I call on the Government to finally release the new farmers' charter, which is long expected and so important to agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Ultimately, the charter sets out the expectations of those concerned and their right to engagement with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. That is an important point to make.

I send my condolences to the family of Sir Anthony O'Reilly. His funeral will take place this morning in Donnybrook church. As we all know, he was the engine, the genius, behind Kerrygold in the 1960s. He cleverly used and tapped into the Irish diaspora. Through unique marketing techniques, he tapped into the emotional connection to agriculture and rural life in the branding of Kerrygold, the result being that we all understood what Kerrygold was wherever we went around the world. As the House knows, Kerrygold is a far bigger brand now than it was in the 1960s. It was O'Reilly's vision and ambition for Ireland that saw Kerrygold and the Kerry Group eventually expand. We should remember that the group came from the co-operative movement and was very successful. I extend my sympathy to Sir Anthony O'Reilly's family and the wide circle of business friends and politicians who will gather in Donnybrook church today to bid farewell to him.