Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witness for his broad overview. The importance of some of his comments, for example those concerning our beef trade and our exports, can never be overstated. I want to compliment him personally on my own behalf, and thank his organisation for standing shoulder to shoulder with our farming community over several decades. Mr. Healy, his predecessors and the staff who work in the IFA are very helpful to us as politicians at all times. The back-up, assistance, networking and general support that it gives to our farming community, in good times and in bad, is second to none. Every organisation has ups and downs, good days and bad, but the IFA is what I would call a highly respectable, hard working and committed group of people, and I would like to put that on the record.