Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Ms Cantwell spoke about the derogation. It was my understanding that there was something on the table between Britain and Ireland a few years ago and Ireland did not sign up to that. Ms Cantwell might enlighten me on that. Is it not a dangerous road to go down to speak about derogations? In my opinion, if you are a licensed prescriber or responsible person where there are grandfather rights or whatever, you are either capable or you are not, to put it very bluntly. Why would you be going down a road of a derogation? I know personally from a different field that the EU does not keep giving derogations.

I will put a few questions together so that the witnesses can address them. I believe Mr. Larkin is dealing with the question of fertilisers. Has any analysis been done? Earlier today, some of us met representatives of the company that makes stents and different things here in Ireland. It is the pharma crowd. New regulation is coming in from them. A CE mark at one time cost €35,000 but it now costs €235,000, along with three or four years of a wait. The same thing seems to be coming with more paperwork for fertiliser. There is this EU paperwork trail that seems to be coming the whole time. Have the witnesses done an analysis on this? I am thinking of the local fellow down the road from me in the local shop who sells bread, butter and a bit of meat, and when you go out the back, you can get stakes, wire and fertiliser.

This business is not a co-op as it is not big enough. Is there data to show that these people are being pushed out of business because of the introduction of IT systems and keeping track of this, that and the other? It started with diesel a few years ago. They have to keep track of that and report to Revenue. Has analysis been done on that and how much it will cost each of them? It might be fine for a person selling 10,000 or 20,000 tonnes, but it could be problematic for a person in a local area selling 1,000 tonnes. Has the cross-Border market been assessed and what could happen?

On the veterinary issue, what engagement have both groups had with the Department of late? It was said that the Department is looking at legal opinion. You can look at legal opinion all you like, but you have to give a decision. When will these decisions be made? When will the two or three guys, if and when the groups have met them, make a decision on what has been provided to them?