Ms Oonagh Duggan:

Following on from both those sets of comments, we need to go back and look at the science. The key thing is that this is a blunt instrument that was brought in in a very rushed manner with no published environmental assessment of it. No farmer would accept a change coming in if they did not have any sight of what the impact would be on their livelihoods. Why would we accept that for the legal protections we have for birds in Ireland and bring in a measure without knowing with the effects would be? It does not make sense.