Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, to go back to the comment from Ms Garvan, farmers are not idiots. If something is not working, they are not going to keep giving it. This is because we know what will happen. An animal will die. As bad as farming is, farmers are not going to keep letting that happen throughout the country.

This is the thing about the over-subscribing of medicines. A farmer may go to the vet because he has a cow with mastitis or wants a dose for hoose or worms. The farmer can get the same thing at the vet as he can get down the road. One person gets a piece of paper stating that he needs something for a particular purpose. Is the vet going to come out every time and watch the farmer throwing it down the throat of the beast or giving an injection? The way the Department is looking at this is frightening for farmers. It is absolutely frightening to think that is the mentality because of a task force or something. I am going to ask one thing. Some common sense needs to come into this. Can Mr. Forde say whether the Department is liaising with Europe?