Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will praise him when necessary and build him up to take him down, if that is all right. Whether building a load of bales, blocks or cattle, I give praise where it is due. I acknowledge that this measure was badly needed as hauliers here were facing unfair competition from hauliers in the North.

We have a high level of exports and need hauliers and drivers to transport them. They do an excellent job under difficult conditions. If the cap fits, the Minister should wear it, and he can wear it proudly because this is welcome legislation. However, the cap slides down or falls off on other initiatives, specifically the new measure on the fitting of tachographs.

It is farcical. A fellow Tipperary man bringing a load of bales to Castlebar was pulled in and faces the courts next week. It is ridiculous legislation. Those things will have to change. Are we going to go back to the fair days when we had to hunt the cattle to the marts? Will we have to walk them from Nenagh to Portroe or Clonmel to Cashel with bulls and all on the road? It is pure bureaucracy gone mad from officials. We get rid of some of it here and we bring in more of it. It is pure bananas. Next thing, we will have camels going up and down. We will be hunting camels as well.

I challenge the Minister on the directive relating to waste tyres. It is not about an EU directive. I salute the Acting Chairman, Deputy Robert Troy, who has fought a long battle on this issue. The Minister is responsible for this. He cannot blame bureaucrats in Brussels or an EU directive; this is an Alan Kelly directive, an AK-47 directive, which will put huge pressure on road hauliers, farmers, and even the Minister's officials, who are looking at me over there. Four tyres on their humble cars will add at least €14 or €15. It stinks to high heaven. I have asked a lot of questions and have many more to ask about this. It is a directive that is trying to get rid of the waste collectors in place, who are doing a good job. I do not condone anybody who dumps a tyre illegally, and I salute the tyre dealers in Tipperary who have a proper system and give the tyres to reputable plants. This will wipe out a whole lot of business people, and for what? To give the business to Repak? Another big company. Another big mess. Another big - I will not say what I think it is, but I know the Minister is very close to them, and a lot of people can be close to them. This is very distasteful.

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