Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

We, in Ireland, are good Europeans but sometimes we go a bit too far. The Government has, on more than one occasion, thrown out the baby with the bath water such is its wish to keep in with its European partners and to be seen as good Europeans. Following the habitats directive, when the Government totally over-did it by designating far beyond what should have been designated, we are still paying the price for that over-enthusiasm by the Government.

In the nitrates directive interpretation the Government is going down the same old road. Farmers have left Mayo in their thousands but this was predicted in the Mansholt plan. After the loss of thousands of farmers from the land of Mayo, what did the brave Minister do? All these people who were decentralised to Castlebar had to go all the way back up the hill to the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon's, country.

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