Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is an issue about which I will write to the Minister because I do not want to name the people here today. An industry in my town got a notification from the Minister's Department yesterday telling it to cease production for the supply of goods to animals, which it does very well. It employs 40 people. It has been told to cease because a company in England and a company in Ireland made a complaint against it, even though it is regulated and licensed. It is a bit much that an official from the Department would send an email telling a company employing 40 people to cease employment. I will write to the Minister because I need to get further details. I only spoke to it this evening. It is getting legal advice. Somebody else should have made a call and spoken to that company first before a letter of cessation was sent telling it to cease production, telling staff to go home and telling the 40 people working in my town that they have no job. I will contact the Minister about that and I want it to be examined.

I compliment the Minister on last year's ACRES. To be fair to him, he let everybody into that scheme. It was great what he did. Other people this year will try to get into that scheme. I hope as many people can be accommodated as possible. I heard Deputy Fitzmaurice before I came in. He is quite correct. The Minister for the environment and Ministers are telling us all how to live our lives in rural Ireland - no one would be living in rural Ireland if we heeded them. The people of rural Ireland will speak to him shortly. I hope as many people as possible will be let into that scheme. They want to be in that environmental scheme. If we want farmers to protect the environment and if the schemes are there, we have to let people into them. The Minister did a very good job for the sheep sector last year. I hope its conditions can be looked at again this year.