Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I just want to be clear on one issue. For 2020, 2021 and 2022, the farming organisations and the politicians never opened their mouths because there was never a problem. We did not just get wings and start flying since June and July last year. A problem has arisen and the farming organisations are on about it. Let us not keep denying there has been a change. If there was not a change, the farming organisations would not have raised the issue and Revenue officials would not be in here, being straight about it. We never had to have the witnesses in with us before. In all the years where there have been discussions about VAT or anything like this, we never had to have Revenue before us. Now, we do have them in. Why is this? It is because we are getting it in the ear daily from farmers. Let us not, therefore, be trying to deny something that is there. It is blatantly clear there has been a change because farmers would not be being refused if there had not been a change.