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

I have two shorter questions. On the veterinary medicine regulation, we hear that vets are telling farmers at meetings around the country that if they are getting dosing materials for the cattle, it will involve a dung sample. Members of this committee understood that, at a herd test, a farmer would acquire the doses for fluke and do out a plan with the vet. That does not seem to add up based on what we are now hearing on the ground. If a problem arises whereby a vet has to come out to look at a lock of cattle every time a prescription must be written, no farmer will be able to afford it. Before anything is done, the system should be made workable for farmers. The Minister should not allow a situation where they are caught with one person.

In the dairy sector in January, February and March, when many cows will be calving, the cows will need injections for scour and all the various problems that arise. You cannot be going down the size of the biro for one calf and then going down the next day and the next day. It needs to be put into perspective that farmers do not just give injections for the craic and that they need to be covered in this regard. I ask the Minister to address this before anything is signed off.

The Minister will know better than I do, from his own area, what is happening in the organic farming sector. I was talking to farmers from a few hills in Galway and Mayo in the past few days. In my opinion their lamb is organic, but the problem is that they cannot get organic certification because their sheep are in a commonage where someone else might have sheep and because some farmers have had to destock because of designation related to the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Their farming is like a brother or sister to organic farming because it is so close to it. Could any sense be applied to increase our organic figures? It would help the farmers a lot with their situation.

I thank the Minister for his time. I support him on the CAP he has had a part in.