Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

It saddens me to speak on the motion because this regulation is another attack on farmers, farming and a way of life. There is a regular attack from the Department of Agriculture and Food and a regular attack from Europe. Deputy Timmins is correct; when directives and regulations emerge from the European Union, every other country involved adopts part of what is proposed but we in this country always have to go six steps further.

As we often discuss Europe, I will tell the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, a simple story. A constituent of mine made a complaint to the EU, the same EU that is complaining to the Government and telling us how to regulate our lives, farming and the whole world. This man spent a colossal amount of money to prepare, register and send a document. It was accepted by an official — I will be careful what I call him because the Leas-Cheann Comhairle might restrain me. Anyway, since the day the documentation was delivered, it cannot be found.

The directives emerging from the EU are no surprise because they are probably all mixed up. The EU staff do not have a lot to do. It is full of officials, yet Ministers and officials from the Department fly over daily with their new briefcases. I think they go for the spin or to keep up their points with Aer Lingus and Ryanair, because it is certain they do not know what is going on. Anyone who would adopt this regulation is out of touch with the real world.

Farmers have been complaining for the past 20 years about form-filling and being over-regulated, yet a similar situation arises with this regulation. Deputy Timmins is half right about north Mayo — there is a vet there. The Erris area is as large as County Louth so a second vet was to go there. However, he gave up his practice and went to work for the Department. Why did he do this? It was probably a better and easier job. He will deal with the officials of the Department, who will keep him informed as to what is happening. He is a great man with the pen so I am sure he will get plenty of paperwork from the Department, which is all it is good for.

With regard to the regulation, what is a farmer in Pollathomas, Rossport or any other part of County Mayo to do if he has a sick animal at 3 a.m? There is one vet in the area, who might be 30 or 40 miles away. Should he telephone that vet, who might have been working all that day, and ask him or her to visit in the middle of the night? Does anyone think that a vet will visit a sick animal at that time of night to write a prescription?

If we have learned anything in this country, we should have learned from the General Medical Service scheme, which deals with a similar situation. Under this scheme, pharmacies are not overpaid because, whatever the medication costs, they receive a handling charge of some €2.80 to €3 per transaction, which is fine. It is enough to have doctors getting paid to write prescriptions, as well as getting paid through the GMS scheme and the drugs subsidy scheme, without having vets copy the GMS scheme. Vets will be paid and in three years or so we will have to put down freedom of information requests to find out about all the deals and negotiations that have taken place. Half the budget of the Department of Agriculture and Food will go to vets instead of going to farmers.

Farmers have had enough of this. They are sick and tired of being attacked — Blair is at it in Britain, attacking a deal done on the single farm payment. It is not good enough. Young farmers, men and women, complain to me and every rural Deputy, including Fianna Fáil Deputies, if they are listening.

Deputy Kitt was correct this morning to state that the Government has been implementing its policies for almost 18 years. What is wrong is that the Government no longer thinks this is a democracy but a dictatorship. It thinks it can do what it wants and disorganise the lives of the people, particularly in rural Ireland. The people have had enough of the Government. They await their opportunity. The Minister of State, Deputy Browne, should enjoy his little stint. He would be as well to keep it running for two years because the tank is empty. The people are waiting. They have had enough of over-regulation.

The Government should leave the regulation as it is. I call on the Fianna Fáil backbenchers to support the motion. I will not call on the Independent Deputies because there is only one independent in this House — myself. The rest of the Independents run behind the Government parties even though they are elected. They take the €35,000 they are allocated as Independents but they are certainly not independent.

The current regulation is working. Farming is under pressure and has been for many years. There is no logic in the new regulation. Some brain box in Europe was asked by his boss to do some work so he thought up this idea and sent it to the Department of Agriculture and Food. The staff there do not have as much work as previously due to the introduction of the single farm payment. They have more time on their hands so all they do is cause problems for farmers with REPS payments and other matters. I recently put down a question to the Minister about the fact that despite the single payment and the new agricultural rules and regulations, the Department still has the same number of staff. As there have been no reductions, some job must be found for the staff. The Department thought of a job for them, namely, to annoy farmers more for fear they have not been annoyed for the last number of years.

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