Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

When I asked the Taoiseach about planning on the site of a mass infant grave at Bessborough, he told me it was inappropriate for a member of Government to intervene on planning matters. How does he reconcile this with his statement yesterday on Glanbia? Is that an appropriate thing for a Taoiseach to do? I presume the Taoiseach is aware that Glanbia is in partnership with a Dutch company and that in the past few years, the Netherlands has reduced its herd by 190,000 while we have increased our herd by 500,000. It seems that the Netherlands has actively found a country with lower environmental standards and low milk prices. The Taoiseach has framed this development, a subsequent increase in the herd and profits going abroad as a positive step for Irish agriculture. Farmers deserve more respect. It is obvious that we need to pay farmers a fair price for their product instead of continuously forcing them to intensify. Can the Taoiseach explain how increasing the herd, which will lead to an increase in emission fines, is a positive step for Irish farming? What will he say to young farmers who will see our dairy sector facing legal restrictions, like those faced by farmers in the Netherlands and elsewhere in the EU? The Government is pitting farmers against environmentalists. What is the Government playing at?

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