Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Much of what I wanted to say has already been mentioned. On my side of the country there are many beef farmers and there has been major difficulties in testing cattle. I am a farmer but I have helped many others through the years. We all do that with our neighbours, including older neighbours in difficulty. They often swore inside a yard what a bloody racket this whole process is. It has never ended. Thirty years ago people would have called it a racket in a yard and 30 years later people are telling me the same thing. It has never been eradicated.

Are farm representative bodies confident we are on the right track to eradicating TB? Deputy Fitzmaurice has mentioned that there are many farmers working off-farm and they experience difficulty, especially if the animals have TB. There is testing and retesting, and cattle are in smaller holdings here and there, with difficulty in bringing them all together. It is a tough time for farmers and the compensation is not the best. I got an earful from a farmer in Castletownbere last week because he did not get what he felt was the value of his cattle. No matter what appeal he made, he still did not get the value of his cattle. He felt that as he had a rare breed, there was a set price. He gave up everything to come home to run the family farm but he now regrets it as the biggest mistake of his life.

The farmers are under much pressure and cannot take all the rules and regulations, with letters telling them this and that. I plead with the farmer organisations to stand up for these farmers. In fairness, I know they are doing this now but the organisations must be strong. The farmers will appreciate it. Testing is a tough racket and it has never eradicated the disease, as it was meant to.

Many questions have been asked that I wanted to ask so there is no need to repeat them.