Mattie McGrath Demands Debate to Defend Farmers and Costs
Mattie McGrath addressed pressures on the farming community, calling for a parliamentary debate on the sheep sector and wider agricultural issues while denouncing the demonising of farmers. He also supported a committee hearing with TUSA on the recently published St John's Ambulance Report and urged the business committee to schedule a climate debate.
Sheep and wider farming pressures
McGrath said he has repeatedly asked the business committee for a debate regarding the sheep sector and highlighted problems across agriculture, including sheep, pigs and calves. He pointed to huge pressure on farmers from rising input costs such as fertiliser and criticised what he described as constant berating and demonising of the farming community.
Defence of farm families and production
He reminded colleagues that farm families have cared for the country since the inception of the state and argued that reports portraying farmers as poor stewards of the environment are "totally untrue." He called for respect for the farmers of Ireland and the farm families of Ireland and for recognition of what they produce.
St John's Ambulance Report and committee action
McGrath said he had no objection to a debate on the St John's Ambulance Report, noting the distress its contents must have caused victims and survivors and that it was published last Thursday. He urged that TUSA should be brought before the committee as the appropriate first step and that the chamber could discuss matters further thereafter.
Scheduling of climate and sector debates
He expressed willingness to have a further debate on climate change and the most recent report, but said such matters should be scheduled by the business committee. He noted that, to his understanding, time is set aside next week for a discussion on the sector referenced in the speech.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
I have been asking for a number of weeks at the business committee for a debate regarding the sheep sector, but many areas in agriculture, sheep, pigs and indeed now even the calves, there is a huge pressure on farmers and the cost of inputs for materials such as fertiliser and the constant berating and demonising of our farming community. I will remind you that farm families looked after this country very well through the decades and since the inception of the state, and now there is constant demonising and downgrading and bagguarding and reports identifying farmers as being not good people to look after the environment, which is totally untrue. We need a debate in this House on those issues and we need to respect the farmers of Ireland and the farm families of Ireland and what they produce. I just want to thank the deputies for their contributions. We have certainly no objection on this side of the House to having a debate on the St John's Ambulance Report. I am very conscious of the distress that its contents must have caused for victims and survivors. It was only published, I think, last Thursday, so the appropriate first step is for TUSA to come into the committee. I understand that is scheduled and perhaps we could discuss in the chamber thereafter, but I think the first step is for TUSA to come into the committee and that is the place to have a discussion with them about it. Again, happy to have a further debate on climate change and the most recent report, but that really should be scheduled by the business committee. I understand that time is set aside next week for a discussion on this cheap sector. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
