Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 3 November 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Farm Safety: Discussion

Photo of Jackie CahillJackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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As a committee, when we meet next we will discuss putting a formal request to the Minister to get Embrace onto a formal footing going forward. You all took on this work on a voluntary basis. Unfortunately, it was born out of tragedy you had in your own families on your own farms. We will try to get this formalised and get it on a formal footing.

What Deputy Martin Browne said about going to the industry and processors would be up to our guests themselves as an organisation. The work our guests do is invaluable. Again, I sincerely thank them for coming in this evening. Often we have confrontation in this room where witnesses are getting cross-examined. That definitely was not the case this evening. I thank our guests for taking the time to come in. If we can be of any help to Embrace going forward, just communicate with us. As I said, we will sit down at our next meeting and discuss how we can open up negotiations between our guests and the Department to get their funding onto a formal footing. I most certainly cannot see any member of the committee objecting to that because our guests have seen the sentiment is unanimous around the room. No-one can help but admire the work our guests have done. Unfortunately, it spawned out of tragedy but it is to be commended to the highest degree. As I said, if there are any issues with which our guests want help they should feel free to contact the committee and we will do our best. I give them a commitment we will contact the Minister as an Oireachtas committee to see how we can formalise funding for the organisation.