Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I said very clearly that I want a structure to be put in place. I want the Minister and the Government who are responsible for the policy to recognise the role of farmers in the preservation of biodiversity. There are very few farmers that I know of – perhaps some of them are here – who do not love the land and love everything that comes with it, but we must acknowledge that efficiency in land terms often involves the reduction of hedgerows.

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