Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

-----on the day when the Farm Contractors of Ireland are outside the gates of this House protesting about the plight of the farming sector.

All the waffle in the world, and all the spin, will not put grass on the fields or food on the tables. Shamefully, the Government is neglecting the main industry in this country. Coming from a rural county, the Taoiseach should understand the position in agriculture. When the farmers are doing well, the country is doing well.

At the Cement Roadstone AGM, I called on the company to provide a cargo ship to bring in the aid that the IFA and the co-operatives, both of whom I salute, have sourced abroad. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, promised us at committee a month ago that he would organise a ship. Unless he sailed away on it, we have not seen it. Cement Roadstone has plenty of cargo vessels. The company has made considerable profits. It is one of the strongest companies in Europe and it should provide one of those. I ask the Taoiseach to call on the company to transport the fodder from France and elsewhere to those who need it. Did the Taoiseach watch the television last night? He should talk to the Teagasc staff.

On a day when we salute the bravery of the late young Donal Walsh being laid to rest in Kerry this morning - God rest his soul - for the efforts he made to deal with those on the verge of suicide, and when Teagasc and Pieta House and many others dealing with this area are telling us of the suicides and threat of suicides in the farming community, it is the Taoiseach who is talking nonsense. The Taoiseach has a habit of doing that lately on all matters and as for answering a question, he has given it up for two years.

See this speech in context