Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I agree with the Minister of State that the vast majority of people will adhere to this system and work to ensure it is fit for purpose because it is in the interests of Irish agriculture to have a system that stands up to scrutiny. The problem is some people will always try to circumvent some rules and the anomalies I have drawn attention to will allow that to happen, I would argue, fairly easily. Yet the alternative does not bear thinking about - that we would put a hard border in place for this, which is something that would be used by political opponents. We should only implement this aspect of the legislation when we have an all-Ireland framework in which it can operate. I believe, unless the Minister tells me otherwise, this is one of those areas where there would not be political opposition from within the assembly or Executive if we ever get it back up and running and that the soundings from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs would be positive. We are talking about an all-Ireland agricultural sector that is equally important in County Fermanagh as in County Monaghan.