Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Tánaiste may be aware, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has reported that the level of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan rose to a new high of more than 200,000 ha in 2013, a 36% increase on the figure for last year. This is an area approximately 283 times the size of Phoenix Park. If I was to stand in the middle of a field, it would be as far as the eye could see and further. The 2013 figure represents the highest total ever in poppy cultivation in Afghanistan and the United Nations estimates that total production reached approximately 5,500 tonnes. Since much of this opiate reaches Ireland and elsewhere in Europe, what plans does the Government and the European Union have to stop this record crop from reaching and destroying our communities?

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