Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food
Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine
2:00 am
Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I am asking if there is any reason for their opinions and whether the Minister can guarantee that there is not. As I said, it has to be a derogation of substance. We cannot set ourselves up to come back saying we got a derogation if it is not at the 250 kg N/ha mark, because that is no good to people that are out there.
On the GAEC, I compliment Michael Moloney and give him my sympathies. He is playing a blinder as he goes around the country. He is telling it as it is but nobody is listening to him or believing him, for some unknown reason. Any calls I am getting on GAEC 2 I am getting late at night or early in the morning after a meeting from people who have concerns. Their concerns are the opposite to what they were told by Michael Moloney the night before. I do not know why they will not believe him. I agree with Deputy Fitzmaurice that the Department needs to come out with media or video of some form to put this to bed once and for all.
I will give one example. A number of people have contacted me to say they cannot plough and will not be able to plough GAEC 2 ground. You can plough to 30 cm. I won an all-Ireland ploughing award. The ploughing depth for world ploughing is 15 cm. Any lad who thinks he cannot plough because he cannot plough any deeper than 30 cm should leave the plough in the shed. That is the truth. It is misinformation. Why is there misinformation? The Department has to get on top of it and get the word out there once and for all. People believe the man who knows what he is talking about, not the people who want to spread the bad news about this and scaremonger on it. It is annoying at this stage. As I said, I am batting questions nearly every Thursday and Friday night on this, after there has been a meeting somewhere. It does not matter what Michael Moloney tells them. They will still ring me the next day because they heard some other lad saying X, Y and Z. The Department needs to get out there and bury that one.
Will the Minister comment on those issues? I will then move on to TB. I cannot see a clock.