Dáil debates

Tuesday, 2 December 2008

8:00 pm

Photo of Martin FerrisMartin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)

Moreover, its foresight to extend slurry-spreading until 31 December, constitutes an indictment of the Government, which merely is reacting from month to month.

The farming sector on this island and in the Twenty-six Counties in particular, is in need of support. It does not need to be penalised further because of the neglect of Governments present and past. It also constitutes an attack on the most vulnerable sectors of our society. The budget attacked the elderly, the youth and the most vulnerable sector within the farming community. The budget cuts must be reversed in their entirety as far as the farming sector is concerned. It is ironic that while this House passed and will support the bail-out of the banks, all the Government is doing is to penalise those who built this State and this economy, namely, the farming community and our rural communities. This is what is taking place and that is the reason it must be reversed.

When I spoke at Ennis last Sunday, I stated this was a human rights issue. It is a human rights issue whereby people living on the margins on the western coast, as well as those most affected in the farming communities, are struggling to survive.

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