Paul Daly
Agricultural Panel · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“I am a converted EV driver – I will receive my third electric vehicle on Friday. I charge at home and I have solar panels but I have done a night rate deal with the ESB whereby between the hours of 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. I can get electricity at 10 cent a unit.”
“At the outset I would like to be associated with the words of the Deputy Leader on the passing of David Andrews. I want to extend my personal sympathies to our colleague, Barry Andrews MEP, his nephew, Chris, our colleague here in the Seanad, and the extended Andrews family.”
“It is way more expensive to go to a fast charger than it is to fill up with diesel or petrol. We need the Minister in here. We need to discuss the infrastructure and the pricing.”
“Perhaps we could also incorporate into the discussion with the Minister awareness of the prevalence of the diseases that are now evident in the agriculture sector. We heard a lot of talk about bluetongue over the winter months, including that it would not be a threat until temperatures went over 12°C.”
“I belatedly congratulate our former colleague and former Leader, Deputy Seán Kyne, on his election. I also congratulate Deputy Daniel Ennis. I do not know Deputy Ennis personally. I have always found Deputy Kyne to be a good colleague, a good friend and a very fair and impartial Leader. I wish him every success in the Lower House.”
“It is very hard to appreciate it at a time when the weather is fine. This may only be a window. It may not be as fine next week. The cycle comes and goes. Farmers need to just stop and think that the work always gets done. It does not all have to be done today. I urge that we would create awareness on that.”
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“On his way to play a major part in a resolution to the crisis in the Middle East, President Trump flippantly said that America might send Tomahawk missiles, to which the response was, "Well, we can respond with nuclear." That is the stalemate we have reached. That is why it is so important to get everybody around the table. Russia is refusing to engage in any meaningful peace process. The only way to get Russia to the table is through further sanctions. I know the coalition of the willing is playing a very big and important role in this, but it is not enough if it is not having results. In any walk of life people can do no more than try their best but if it does not achieve what they set out to achieve, it is ultimately a failure.”
“I second the motion. I thank our leader, Senator O'Loughlin, and everybody involved in putting the motion together. On 26 February 2022, my father died, four days after the outbreak of the current part of this war because that was not the start of this war, as we have to acknowledge. It has been a lifetime for me since that personal loss on 26 February 2022. I can only imagine what it has been like for the people who suffer attack every day and every night, and have also lost loved ones. It is an eternity. It is no way for any human being to have to live. I welcome the ambassador. In recent deliberations with the foreign affairs committee, she said that Russia is not winning and Ukraine is not losing. That is stalemate in anyone's language. I am concerned about the media commentary over recent days.”
“It is vitally important that there is awareness among the public so that we keep this infection out of our commercial and backyard flocks at all costs. My heart goes out to those who rear turkeys in particular. They have one payday in the year. We can imagine how they would feel if there was an outbreak of this disease. I would say they are having sleepless nights. If we can help in any way, we should. People should be vigilant. It is all about biosecurity and we all have a role to play in biosecurity. If people see a dead wild bird, I ask them to take the correct action and report it to the relevant authorities.”
“I want to raise awareness among the greater public of the issue of avian flu. There has been a confirmed case in a commercial flock in Northern Ireland. Imagine going to bed last night as someone who rears turkeys commercially and has just one major pay day in the year. You would be living on tenterhooks. It is important that we raise awareness among the public. Someone who has a backyard flock of a few hens needs to be aware of this. If one of them gets sick and dies, they need to be honest and go to the correct authorities to report the incident. Similarly, if someone comes across a dead wild bird, it is not just a case of walking by or kicking it into the hedge and letting nature take its course. It needs to be reported, analysed and tested.”
“They are talking about boycotting the marts and not buying any weanlings in the mart from 6 October for seven days. The derogation affects the whole sector. When talking about agriculture it is hard not to put one sector against another. We go back to the tillage. If we do not hold the derogation, the dairy men are going to leave the land and there is another hit for the tillage sector. It is a domino effect. It is vitally important we hold the derogation. The initial announcement on CAP was not good but the Minister, Deputy Heydon, said it is only a starting point and we need to get a far better deal before we dot the i's and cross the t's.”
“Beef is going well at the minute, but I read this morning, and this is important, that weanling exporters are talking about boycotting the marts for a week because they are not happy that all the animals they are buying are vaccinated. Some had respiratory problems in animals they bought. No seven people should be able to hold a sector to ransom like that. If the Minister needs to step in, I think he should step in. That is detrimental. Beef is going well but are they going to kill it themselves? In the case of such a threat the Minister may have to step in and talk to the exporters. They are holding the whole sector to ransom. It is a cheap shot just because there was a little bit of a breakout in one of their own herds that was bought and nobody knows how they were housed or anything. The Minister may keep an eye on that one.”
“Tweaks need to be made with the current vaccination and it would affect our exports but we need to invest in it. Some of the massive amount of money spent on TB will need to be invested in research for a vaccination going forward. If I live long enough, I will be proven right that this will not be solved until there is a vaccination for bovine TB. The vaccination is not up to scratch at the moment but it can be and will be. We were able to create a vaccination for Covid-19 in six months. With a bit of investment and research and the backing of universities and maybe even private labs, it will happen. Money put in that direction might be money well spent.”
“We cannot rob Peter to pay Paul on this one. In my neck of the woods the tillage sector is a mixed kind of a setup. Many people do both beef and tillage and maybe sheep - a little bit of everything. If we say we are not doing the cow payment this year because we are putting the money into tillage, that is taking the money out of the farmer's left hand to put into his right hand and that will not work. It has to be new money. With regard to the TB valuation figure, as everybody has said, it has to rise. For example, one man losing ten cows because of the disease is not on. That would put a man out of business, especially with the value of cattle now. That has to be revisited. I am an advocate for, and I know the answer is, a vaccination for TB. We can vaccinate the badger and the bovine.”
“That is wrong. They could be selling 300,000 tonnes of malt and barley to the Irish whiskey industry, which is famous all over the world. Much of the grain used to make Irish whiskey is imported. We need to look at that. In fairness, the Minister in his remarks did say they were looking at that file. The processors, distillers and millers who use the grain have a role to play. A big issue we have going forward is holding on to the derogation. In fairness, the processors on the milk side have rowed in to help to improve water quality because they have a vested interest. The millers, bakers, distillers and brewers have an equally important role to play in rescuing, helping and saving the tillage sector and the grain sector in particular. However, they need money and I believe money will be forthcoming, but it has to be new money.”
“However, the tillage representatives informed us today there are between 750,000 and a million tonnes of genetically modified grain or feed coming in from the Mercusor countries at present. They are not on a level playing field. We need money in next Tuesday's budget to be put into the tillage sector because the sector is in crisis. It was obvious at the National Ploughing Championships. I said it on the Order of Business the other morning. I am a veteran of the ploughing championships and you can tell how farming is going by meeting the people on those three days. The mood was good with the exception of the tillage sector. A rising tide did not lift all boats. Their ask was that we would have a targeted policy from the Government for the use of Irish grain. For example, Irish whiskey does not use or does not have to use Irish grain.”
“We may put in place a pension or retirement payment for the existing farmer but the young farmer will not take it over if there is not a future in it or if money is not invested in that young farmer for capital development or whatever. It was a big ask of the IFA when we met it last week. A young man with the delegates is trying to get into farming and he needs support at that bottom level getting in as much as the farmer who is getting out. It is equally important. In regard to tillage, as was said earlier, the agriculture committee, which I am on, had a meeting today on the tillage sector. This ties in a little bit with Mercusor. I agree with everything that Senator Brady said about Mercusor.”
“I thank the Minister for being here today. I thank the Fine Gael Senators for tabling this Private Members' motion and giving us the opportunity to discuss the matters in hand with the Minister before the important meeting he is just about to attend. Coming in after Senators Murphy, Brady and Boyhan, there is not a lot left to say. I will briefly go through the motion. I have a small comment to make on each individual area, in no particular order. Succession and generational renewal are big issues. I welcome the commission. I want to make sure that when the decisions are made on this issue that as much emphasis is put on the young farmer coming in as there is on the farmer who is retiring. We can often look at generational renewal and think if we introduce a retirement scheme, that will solve the problem.”
“I ask that when we bring in the Minister with responsibility for farm safety, we bring in two Ministers. It would be a powerful statement with regard to the importance of mental health within the whole issue of farm safety, physical and mental health if the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health was sitting beside the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, when we have that debate in order to highlight the inclusion and importance of one's mental health as well as one's physical health.”
“Livestock is as much a threat as machinery. Everybody needs to be careful. The issue is twofold in that when we discuss farm safety we often do not include mental health. We talk about the physical health and well-being of the farmer. However, it should concern the mental and physical health and well-being of the farmer. I welcome the announcement and launch at the National Ploughing Championships by the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, Deputy Butler, of 15,000 hours of free counselling, either over the phone or in person. The over-the-phone element is vitally important. When a farmer comes in after a long hard day he is not motivated to change his clothes and go to an office or GP practice. He can pick up the phone and receive counselling. My ask is not unprecedented.”
“Before the recess I raised the issue of farm safety here because again this year Farm Safety Week fell during our recess. It ran from July 21 to 25, while we were in recess. Had we been sitting, we would have had the Minister in for statements that week. By virtue of the fact we missed out on that, I am raising the issue again today. The catalyst for raising it today is twofold. First, it is in reference to an open letter which the Minister has issued to all farmers to create awareness of safety on their farms. It is only 1 October and we have reached 16 fatalities, unfortunately, which was the total figure for entirety of year. We all need to raise awareness of safety. The heavy machinery season, with silage and the harvest, etc., is over, and now we are coming into the season for housing animals.”
“We cannot play politics as usual with this issue. We all genuinely believe what I and everyone else, bar a couple of Members, have said here today. We have to keep pushing for more. I am repeating myself and will conclude on this: it may not look it from the outside but we have done a lot. We have boxed above our weight, we have led Europe and now have other countries beginning to come around to our way of thinking. It has be commended that we were out there first but there needs to be more done. The consequences of all we have done are not enough and not acceptable but we have to be genuine and we cannot play politics with this issue as was done here today.”
“I have to take the opportunity to berate Sinn Féin for the attitude its representatives have taken here today in playing politics and trying to score points as usual. I send my very best wishes to their colleague, Senator Andrews, on the flotilla and I condemn what has happened to it. I wish him every good luck in his journey and hope he comes home safely. However, I cannot sit here and listen to political point scoring. I commend everyone else in the Chamber whose hearts are in the right place and who really want the best and quickest solution to the problem we have. For Sinn Féin Members to stand up and try to score political points shows how genuine they are on the topic. It is reiterated even more by the fact that I am looking over at empty chairs. They did not even stay for the duration of the debate.”
“I acknowledge today's motion and I also acknowledge the fact that the Government has led from the front, but yet I ask the question why we cannot do more. When I ask at a meeting, I am told we are doing a lot and that we have done more than many others, but then I go home and put on the news and I see what is going on. You would not be human if you did not feel that we need to do more. What we are doing is not having the desired effect, but we have to keep doing it. I compliment the Government on what it has done. I compliment my colleagues who brought forward this motion. I strongly support it. I also compliment Senators Stephenson, Harmon, Cosgrove and Noonan for the work they put in to the amendments to strengthen today's motion.”
“Senator Kelleher made me think with his comment about his son. I am also an Arsenal fan and I was also wondering if Saka is fit for the weekend, and then it made me think how can I be wondering or worrying about something so unimportant in the big picture of what is going on in Gaza. Senator Kelleher put it very well. Not as a Senator or as a public representative but as a human being, I have been horrified since the attack on 7 October by Hamas, which I condemned, but two wrongs do not make a right. Hamas was wrong and its attack should never have happened but with the overreaction of Israel and Netanyahu, two wrongs do not make a right. We have said it and everybody has said it, that it is genocide. I raise this issue continually with the people in more powerful positions than me as to why we are not doing more.”
“I am not talking about gene modification; I am talking about gene editing. We need to strengthen those crops to handle the new climate and the wet conditions climate change has brought. It is a debate we need to have on gene editing. I want to make very clear that I am not talking about gene modification but gene editing.”
“It is ironic that ploughing is the foundation of the seedbed for the crop. It was very evident last week that our tillage sector is in crisis and needs immediate aid. I would like a debate with the Minister for agriculture but it would need to be before the budget so I doubt very much that will happen. Perhaps we could relate it to him. We need support for the tillage sector. It is under pressure with input costs and fertiliser prices. World grain prices are almost at an all-time low. It is the sector that is probably most dependent on the weather. Even if we get the prices right, there can be a bad spring when they put in their crops and they are goosed, or a bad harvest. It is a vulnerable sector and needs so much help. I would also like to see the inclusion of gene editing in that debate. The time has come.”
“I attended the National Ploughing Championships last week, which were a fantastic success. I congratulate the National Ploughing Association on the fantastic annual event it holds, in particular its well-known managing director Anna May McHugh. With the season that is in it as we approach a presidential election, one could nearly say Anna May is the best president we never had. The success last week was a testament to that great organisation. When you attend that event in the role I have as spokesperson for agriculture, you can gauge how things are on the ground by the mood of the farmers and others who attend. Things were very good, positive and upbeat last week, which indicates things are good out there, but with one exception. The rising tide does not lift all boats. There is a serious crisis in our tillage sector.”
“We cannot stress enough the importance of safety awareness on farms, especially during the summer months. That Farm Safety Week falls during the recess - from 21 July to 25 July - is probably a missed opportunity in that we will not get the opportunity to highlight the issue. With that in mind, I plead with Senators who are able to do so to share on social media as much as possible of the coverage of Farm Safety Week from the very dedicated organisations that cover farming matters. It would be greatly appreciated. The big solution to what is a major problem is awareness, so a simple share on social media could save a life. I plead with Members because the Seanad is not sitting that week - I am saying this for the third time - and therefore we cannot have statements.”
“At this evening's meeting of the committee on agriculture, various farm bodies will attend to discuss farm safety, mental health and farmers' mental health and well-being. In previous years in the Seanad there were statements on farm safety during Farm Safety Week. I do not know what has moved but last year and again this year Farm Safety Week has fallen during our summer recess. It is a missed opportunity so with that in mind I ask the Leader to include Seanad statements on farm safety in the autumn that, albeit they would not be during Farm Safety Week. I warmly welcomed the announcement in recent weeks by the Minister, Deputy Heydon, and the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, that 40 farm safety and well-being projects throughout the country will be funded to the tune of €1.68 million.”
“While we want to save our barley fields and grass paddocks from wind turbines, I see the error of us promoting offshore development because the waters around Ireland are the barley fields and pastures of the fishermen. The Minister of State is left with the onerous task of trying to promote renewable energy, which needs to be done. However, squaring this circle should not be done at the expense of our fishing community. They are the points I wanted to make. I did not want to miss the Minister of State's first visit and my remarks are genuine.”
“It is hard to believe that as an island nation we are not fish eaters. While we have a great record in promoting our produce around the world, thanks to Bord Bia, etc., I do not know if we are not up-to-speed when it comes to promoting it among ourselves. I would love to see more promotion of Irish fish products. We have to be among the worst island nations when it comes to eating fish. It is an area where more money could be invested in promoting our product in the home market. The other big job the Minister of State will have over the lifetime of this Government, will be his work with the members of the seafood and offshore renewable energy working group. It is not going to be simple. We all know we need renewable energy. Those of us in the midlands are only to keen to push the wind turbines out to sea.”
“I am delighted our Taoiseach and leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, appointed Senator Blaney, a Donegal man who has forgotten more about fisheries that I have ever known, as a separate spokesperson on fisheries, while I concentrate on agriculture and food. Fisheries has been the poor relation for too long. I am delighted it is getting the recognition, the input and the personnel working on it that it deserves. It is a big body of work. Great progress was made in the EU-UK deal a couple of weeks ago. This has to be maintained. The Minister of State has a big body of work in Europe as we attempt to maintain our quotas. He also has to promote our processing. It is not just about the quotas we can catch; it is also about where they go and how they are processed. It is vital we maximise the most employment out of the sector.”
“I was at a meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight and I left because I did not want to miss the opportunity to attend the Minister of State's first visit back to the Seanad. As a former Member, colleague and good friend in the previous Seanad, I want to welcome him and wish him the best of luck in his new role. I know the portfolio is in capable hands but it is a major role. It is a big job of work he has to do. I am fearful of repetition as I did not hear most of the debate. I compliment the Government's forward thinking in appointing Deputy Dooley as a stand-alone junior Minister for fisheries. Although I am from Kilbeggan, four miles from the dead centre of Ireland, by default I have been Fianna Fail's Seanad spokesperson on fisheries because it was lumped in with agriculture and food for two terms.”
“We need to go back to basics, and we need to make sure that if we are dragged into a debate about food prices, we will not get into a race to the bottom and then start bringing in untraceable, poor-quality food just to keep the price down. The solution to the problem is making sure we get a ring-fenced CAP budget within the multi-annual financial framework that will be announced next week. Sooner rather than later, we need a debate in this Chamber on the broad issue of food security as opposed to separate issues of financing and prices. Food security is a major issue. I warn against the race to the bottom and keeping prices down by bringing in poorer quality food from South America. I have to say it.”
“The article is based on food inflation, and the timing of same is probably very appropriate because we are expecting some decision on the multi-annual financial framework within Europe next week. That is basically where our food policy and food prices are determined through the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP. The CAP was formed in 1962 by the then EEC. The reasoning behind the CAP was to make sure we had a secure supply of top-quality cheap food for the residents of Europe. With every new negotiated CAP and multi-annual financial framework, that budget has been eaten into for security or environmental schemes or whatever.”
“At the outset, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Councillor Aoife Davitt on becoming the first female cathaoirleach of the county council of my native Westmeath. As we all know, Aoife is a sister of our colleague Senator Davitt. It is annual general meeting time for the councils, so I congratulate and wish all incoming cathaoirligh the very best of good luck and compliment the outgoing. However, I give a special mention to Councillor Davitt on becoming the first female cathaoirleach of Westmeath County Council in its 126-year history. The issue I want to raise with the Leader this morning is based on the front page of today's Irish Independent , which carries a large banner heading stating that the days of cheap food are over. We need to have a debate on this.”
“They should not lose a year by being told that they have to do training that they cannot start until they are 16. By the time they have the training done, they will have lost a year. A little bit of thinking outside the box is needed so that we can get this one right, but it has to be done. It is a no-brainer. We have to train these kids to drive these tractors properly.”
“They are 150 or 200 horsepower with trailers behind them and can weigh 30 or 40 tonnes in total, when laden. It is a no-brainer that this has to happen but we have to get it right. We need to invite the Minister in to discuss getting it right and thinking outside the box. The RSA is starting with a blank page on this. It knows its faults and failings with the car driver test and the waiting lists, so it must get this right. Youngsters should be allowed to do the training from aged 15 and a half, six months before they are 16. If they have the training done, they will still be able to start driving at 16. In that way, nobody is losing out on labour for the summer and the youngsters are not losing out on the chance of a summer job and a few bob. Let them have the training done by the time they are 16.”
“As someone who is over 55, I know that it is the initial training that one gets or the habits one forms when one drives for the first time that will stay with one for life. It is the muscle memory and the habitual driving that one will be doing half a century after learning how to drive that counts. People will say that the father, the mother, the farmer next door or the contractor who is depending on these young people to work for the summer will train them but they are not professional trainers and they can train them with bad habits. When I learned how to drive, it was in an old Massey Ferguson 135, which would fit into the toolbox of some of the tractors that are out there today and that young people are stepping straight up onto.”
“I also welcome our friends from Slovenia to the House. I want to raise the issue of the recent coverage of the RSA and its consideration of introducing tractor driving tests and training for those aged 16 and over. As of now, a 16-year-old can just apply for a provisional licence and, without any training, step up on one of the monstrosities of tractors that we see on our back roads now. What I really cannot believe, since this announcement was made, is that there has been some opposition to it. In fact, there has been a lot of opposition to the idea. Between 2020 and 2024, there were 28 vehicle-related fatalities on Irish farms, 12 of them linked directly to tractors. The argument has been made that two thirds of these fatalities were of people who were over 55.”
“As he said in his opening statement, we have to keep a very close eye on the SPS agreement but this is to be welcomed. It is all very positive. I will finish where I started and say that we have to keep our eye on the ball. It is a volatile market and what happens in the relationship between the EU as a whole and America will be a vital input into the success or otherwise of this sector. To go back to Kilbeggan again, the idea of high tariffs on the Irish drinks sector, including whiskey, has been thrown about a lot. That could be detrimental.”
“I have no doubt but that we will have to keep updating things for that indication but it is vitally important that we hold onto it. I again welcome developments between the EU and the UK. As the Minister of State said in his opening statement, we will keep a close eye on the development of the SPS agreement. It is vitally important. Before Brexit, we were dependent on the UK market. During the whole Brexit debate, all the talk was about whether we could survive with a changed UK market. We have survived but the numbers are dropping every year. It could get worse so we need to keep a close eye on the trade the UK is now doing around the world as a result of being outside the EU Common Market. This development in recent weeks is very positive. The Minister of State will have a role in bringing it to fruition.”
“I hope the Minister of State will bring that with him from here. In our roles on the agriculture committee, Senator Boyhan and I were very actively involved in the introduction of An Rialálaí Agraibhia, the food regulator, which I welcome. I welcome the commitment in the programme for Government to enhance and increase that regulator's powers. I hope that is followed through on because it is a vital cog in making sure the primary producer, the farmer, is not forgotten and gets his fair share from the success story that is our food production and food exports. The protected geographical indication, PGI, was another positive during the term of the last Government. It opens up a lot of markets for us. I compliment those who were involved in securing that at the European level.”
“I am not opposed to the deal in general; I am opposed to it in its current format, particularly if we are going to start bringing in beef from flattened rainforests in Brazil, Argentina and places like that. Bord Bia deserves mention here today. It is doing a fantastic job around the world. I went on a couple of trips and was lucky enough to attend presentations the board put on with hoteliers and chefs from restaurants to promote Irish beef, lamb and so on. It is doing a fantastic job. It is promoting Origin Green, the sustainable method by which we produce our lamb, beef and pork. It would be totally contradictory to allow the importation of hormone-treated beef into our market, replacing some of our contracts and markets. It is that element of the Mercosur deal I am opposed to.”
“Leaving aside processed beef, it is vitally important that the Minister of State keep his eye on the ball when it comes to the live export trade. It is the rock on which the Irish beef industry is built. We cannot talk about foreign markets and exports without mentioning trade deals. The one that is on the tip of everybody's tongue at the moment is the Mercosur trade deal. Some people stand up and say they are opposed to the Mercosur trade deal. We are an open economy. The Minister of State spent ten minutes reading out a list of the things we export around the world and the amount of money we make. Without trade deals, we would be nowhere. I am pro-trade deal but I am opposed to the Mercosur trade deal in its current format.”
“While what is probably the biggest and most important export market that is beneficial right to the farm gate, namely live exports, may not be under the remit of the Minister of State, it should be. This is going to be serious bone of contention. I am a big supporter of live exports. It is what keeps the beef industry honest for want of a better word. There are major issues with animal welfare standards. I am a promoter of live exports to the highest standard of animal welfare. We are an island nation. It is easy for the authorities in continental Europe to bring in laws and regulations that will impede our ability to export our animals on the hoof. They are in continental Europe and we are an island nation, and that has to be taken into consideration.”
“We have a struggling tillage sector. Irish drinks, including Irish whiskey, are flying all over the world yet the tillage farmer is struggling to get a decent price for his tonne of malt and barley so we cannot leave the primary producer behind. It is the same with the beef sector. I am not being negative but I am duty bound to represent the grassroots for want of a better word. There is serious frustration among beef farmers when it comes to what is known as the fifth quarter, particularly when we read that we are exporting €126 million worth of offal product, which is the fifth quarter. The farmer brings his animals to the factory and that is all cut away and pushed to one side before the carcass is weighed on which he is paid by the kilogram. Then we read about €126 million in exports. One can see how farmers would be frustrated.”
“While I am from Kilbeggan in County Westmeath, and one will probably not get a more central area of the country, it is important that we include fisheries when we discuss food exports and new markets here today because it is an integral part of the economies of communities along the coast and I am very much aware of that. Being from Kilbeggan where Kilbeggan whiskey is made, I have a significant interest in the recent progress in and the advancement of our exports in that area. I would emphasise the primary producer. While it is a good news story for the industry, it can be top heavy with the producer and exporter sides and the industry side. A rising tide does not necessarily lift all boats. It may not be as rosy in the garden for the primary producer and the farmer. The Irish whiskey market is a point in case.”
“As the Minister of State rightly pointed out in his opening statement, we are in a very volatile position with the geopolitical landscape, potential trade wars and potential tariffs from the US, which is such a major customer, and the knock-on effect of this across the globe so we have to keep our eye on the ball. I know the Minister of State has a large body of work to do in this regard. If we can maintain the current situation, depending on how things work out with the US and the tariffs, it will probably be a good day's work. I compliment the Minister of State on that and on how he has hit the ground running in his new position along with the Minister, who was in Japan last week opening up new markets there, and the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, who was in Barcelona.”
“I welcome the Minister of State on his first visit to the Seanad in his new role. As a good friend, I compliment and congratulate him on his appointment. I know that the agrifood sector is in safe hands and that the Minister of State will not be found wanting. This sector is and has been a good news story. The proof of this was no more evident than in the most recent downturn. When the economy was on its knees, it was this sector and the exports from this sector across the world that got this country back up and running so we cannot be complacent and we cannot take our eye off the ball.”
“The lack of sufficient storage on many farms is leading to problems in our water quality. Unfortunately, however, the allowance was never made. It is now June. Farmers who wish to build cannot do so. Some of them did not apply for planning permission because they were told there was going to be an exemption. If they had gone the route of applying for planning permission, they would now have received it and would be able to go ahead and build. An opportunity has been lost here. These are the months for building when the ground is dry, etc. I do not know about bringing in the Minister to talk about the issue, but perhaps the Leader would write to him and get an update as to when this announcement, which was promised last autumn, will be made.”
“I refute the remarks of my colleague, Senator Mullen, with regard to Fianna Fáil's attitude towards drugs. Nothing could be further from the truth. I presume he was referring to the part of our manifesto that mentioned decriminalising certain drugs for personal use. That is a health-led response to drug addiction and a far more compassionate way of dealing with a problem than the criminal route for those unfortunate people who find themselves addicted through no fault of their own. I refute the Senator's remarks. I rise to raise the issue of planning exemptions for slurry storage on farms. In autumn 2024, the Government promised there would be an announcement on planning exemptions in January 2025 for farmers who wish to build additional slurry storage to help to improve water quality.”
“We should not just move on now that we think everything is back up and running and that we think people got over Storm Éowyn. People have not got over it. There are people who are still suffering and there is still a cleanup in places. Doors are beginning to close in people’s faces owing to closing dates and deadlines for applications for support or whatever.”
“A few people have been on to me who believed they were covered by insurance but who, having gone through the rigmarole and red tape, are now only beginning to realise that it does not cover the damage they experienced. Therefore, they are looking for humanitarian aid or to apply to join humanitarian schemes, whose closing dates for application, they have been told, have passed. It is important that we do not forget and have a debriefing session with the Minister. I assume the Department of Social Protection is the relevant one because that is where we focused our attention with the supports. I ask that the Minister come to the Chamber to give any Senator with questions similar to those I have just referred to an opportunity to ask them. It would serve as a learning process, if nothing else, if there were a similar storm.”
“I would like to lend my support to Senator Murphy's request regarding the stadium in Belfast. I am a very passionate Gael from Westmeath and we hover at around the same level as Antrim in football and hurling. I used to be a frequent visitor to Casement Park. It grieves me now every time I see the footage on the news or another programme of how derelict and overgrown the stadium has become. It is vitally important that Belfast have a strong GAA centre and stadium. We are approaching the five-month anniversary of Storm Éowyn. It is important not to forget it. It is important that we have another debriefing or update debate, possibly with the Minister for Social Protection, on where we are now with the fallout – pardon the pun – from that storm.”