Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I compliment Deputy Ó Cuív on tabling this motion. The Deputy understands farming intimately. He has been at various places throughout the country in the last year debating other issues, such as CAP and not getting agreement on it. One can see who is getting the big single farm payments. It might be embarrassing for some of the Members on the Government benches to look at the figures. They can be seen online.

The Minister has made a hames of this. I have always had great respect for him and still have but the Government's strategic infrastructure committee should have been assembled long ago, not as a result of this motion. It is six months too late. We had ample time and the Minister was warned about it. His Department knew about it. Where are the animal rights people now? The number of fallen animals has increased by 40% in some places. Knackeries cannot cope with what is happening. The Department has been asleep. I am not referring to the officials who are present with the Minister. This is a national emergency. There will be a knock-on effect for the next number of years.

We are trying to get out of this deep recession. Speaking on the radio and at a committee meeting last week, the Minister told us that the banks are ready to lend. They are not lending. The Minister should stop the inspections and put the inspectors into the banks. They could accompany farmers to see the answers they receive after they fill in the forms. They are told to go away. Most farmers cannot afford to borrow anyway. I compliment the IFA and the co-operatives that have got involved. Indeed, Coolmore Stud in my constituency exported hay to the west.

However, all of this is too little, too late. I attended the CRH annual general meeting this morning and I appealed for the company to give something. It has received so much from the farmers and the farmers are the only people keeping the company going now. The Minister can laugh and joke if he wishes with his new colleague, Deputy McEntee, but the CRH would not even discuss the matter. There is no sense of reality. The Government's sub-committee on infrastructure includes the Taoiseach, the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. It should tell our European colleagues what is happening. All the countries' flags are displayed in the front hall. Is the Minister going to wait until all the farmers are lying down and finished? The Minister has missed the boat. He could have asked those European colleagues to help. This is a crisis. Get rid of all the red tape in Europe. We are told we cannot do this and that because of finance or because of Europe. The Minister should tell the Europeans this is a national crisis. The Minister must pinch himself and wake up to this, not give fine words and nice speeches. It is too little, too late.

The animal rights Deputies should go and see the animals. No farmer wishes to see animals suffering. The Minister has missed the boat on this. He should go back to the IFA and support it. I understand the Minister has extended the application date to 9 June, but that is a feeble effort. He should call a meeting of the national emergency committee and take real action, not token action. What happens when there is flooding or any other events? Any time there is an emergency in the country a national committee is usually called to meet. The Government Members do not even know that it is, which tells us how badly off agriculture is.

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