Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This is very disturbing. I thank Deputy Carthy for highlighting it. We certainly need answers. This news will be quite disturbing for many people. It is amazing. A neighbour of mine in west Cork, Mr. Pat McCarthy, has been telling me for a while that products we have been rubbing on our hands are highly dangerous. I did not listen to him, but I will certainly listen to him from now on. When I go back to west Cork, he will put me in my place. I am very disappointed that the Minister had to leave. This is a very important issue and it is very important that he addresses it, particularly as it affects the children in our schools.

We are going through a very difficult time. People are living under level 5 restrictions, with the threat of fines and penalties. I said earlier that I have been inundated with emails from students and their parents asking me if they can go home this evening. The Members of this House can. I will have a five-hour journey but I can certainly get home this evening. Students are being told that they cannot. People's livelihoods are in serious danger. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is definitely needed here for a proper debate on the crisis currently facing marts. People are losing massive amounts of money in marts throughout the country. The Minister seems to be running scared on this issue. I urge him to come back to the Chamber this evening to discuss it. It would only take five minutes of his time.

The Chair of the Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food, Deputy Cahill, is doing everything in his power to reconvene the committee for an emergency discussion on this in the next few days. It is an emergency situation, with farmers losing masses of money. They can ill afford this with Brexit over our heads and an ongoing agricultural crisis. I ask the Minister to look at the commonsense proposals which would allow people to safely socially distance inside sheds. That is mostly where marts are held. People could very safely implement social distancing, almost as if the mart was being held in a field. If this issue is not resolved, it will drag on. I see that we will be discussing it later.

The very heart of democracy is being hit. Some people cannot even attend their church. I do not know if we have ever seen the like of this since the Penal Laws. It is incredible. No other country in Europe has allowed this to happen. Ireland has become such a dictatorship that people cannot even attend their churches. It would be great if the Minister could return to explain the situation regarding the marts.

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