Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the delegates for the presentation. Organic farmers deal with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Bord Bia and the certification bodies. Do the delegates believe Bord Bia could kill two birds with the one shot and eliminate the fact that so many people visit the farmer? As Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív mentioned, the lamb produced on the hills of counties Mayo, Wicklow, Dublin and Kerry is organic. It has been traded to other countries, but according to some farmers, some of this trade is gone. What is Bord Bia doing to help it?

I know of an instance where a farmer genuinely forgot to include information on a medicine and was struck off for six months. This is a heavy-handed way to deal with the matter. With the best will in the world, every one of us makes mistakes. We should show leniency in the case of a first or second offence and not just exclude people for six months. Organic certification means extra money for an animal and it is lost if a farmer is excluded. We should consider introducing a graduated system rather than knocking people out with the stroke of a biro.