Mr. Hugh Farrell:

I will start on the issue of fertiliser and then address availability. We are hearing that fertiliser will be available and there are stocks due to underselling this year with the way the pricing was. It is affordability we should be looking at for some farmers, especially in the beef and the suckler end. That is a big issue.

The amount spread has already slowed production in the past year. Recording it is a mystery exercise, as far as we are concerned. We need to be reducing bureaucracy and paperwork rather than creating them.

As far as medicine is concerned, we have no more information than the other speakers and members, which is disappointing. We should have been meeting on a more regular basis to be updated on these issues but we were not given the opportunity. It is just presumed a decision will be made and we will be told this is it and be expected to row in. That will not happen and has not happened. The ICSA and all farmers stand firm in that belief.

We must look at this in another way. If the right decisions had been made some years ago and derogation had to be applied for, we would not be in this position. That is the problem with us. Northern Ireland, which is only across the road from me, has a derogation and farmers there can work away. There has been a failure by the Department to seek a derogation. We saw it with harvesting the bogs. Nobody is taking responsibility for that and nobody else is being penalised on those grounds but it is coming back to penalise farmers.

We need to look at that one. We want the Department to come forward. It is down to a small number holding it back at this stage. It cannot hold everyone to ransom. We have been fair at all times and co-operated through all discussions and meetings to bring it forward. Our industry needs to be looked after. We also need to look after the suppliers of our product because they are part of it. There are available dates, as I said earlier.