Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

I wish to share time with my colleague Deputy Hoctor. We are playing for the Tipperary team tonight. I apologise for not being here earlier as I was not expecting to be called so soon.

Since we joined the EEC in 1973, the farming pillar has had two seats at the European Economic and Social Committee, one held by the IFA and one by the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association. I was only a schoolboy in Cahir at that time. The ICMSA is an 18,000-strong farm organisation that particularly represents dairy farmers, while the IFA concentrates more on sheep, beef, tillage and mixed farming.

As the name implies, the EESC is a forum for representatives of the economic and social sectors in the member states to discuss common problems and submit recommendations to the European Commission. Last week, it was announced that there will no longer be two seats at the EESC for the farming pillar. One seat will be kept for the IFA, but the other seat - strangely enough, the dairy farmers' seat - is to be reallocated to BirdWatch Ireland.

I emphasise that I have no problem with BirdWatch Ireland; its members in my own constituency do much good work with regard to nature reserves and so on. However, this decision is totally cuckoo. We had the cuckoo in my area in April, and he is still giving the odd chirp, but what is happening here is bordering on lunacy. The only sector in Ireland that has the potential to build the export business that every economist agrees is the sole hope for rebuilding our economy has been unceremoniously dumped off a vital EU economic forum and replaced with an organisation that represents bird watchers. Goodness gracious.

Is it really wise to remove an expert dairy representative from the EESC and replace that voice with one from BirdWatch Ireland? Is it in the national interest? I say "No". Will economic recovery be helped more by the presence of a representative of the Irish dairy sector - the biggest indigenous exporter we have - or a representative of Ireland's bird-watching community? I do not think many people would have a problem giving the answer to that.

Who exactly does BirdWatch Ireland represent and what is its capacity for economic and social research and analysis? Is this move politically motivated? I believe it is. Is the Green Party putting in place sleepers to maintain their influence in key positions? I believe it is. I am glad the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is here. Where was BirdWatch Ireland, and other people, when we were trying to get the Lisbon treaty passed in two referendums? The ICMSA stood steadfast with us. It should be obvious to any reasonable person that this is a ludicrous decision. It must be reversed, or, at least, another seat must be provided to allow for the very important work of the ICMSA to be represented at the committee.

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