Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I know it is. The IFFPG knew before that committee meeting that large amounts of contaminated plastic were being returned from Turkey. It telephoned the businessman in question one hour before the committee meeting to discontinue his contract. It has learned from the beef industry and is setting up cabals to exert control, regardless of farmers.

We are proud people of the land and so were generations before us. We had the Famine and recovered from it. We had the War of Independence, the occupation of our country and the Black and Tans. Now we have these people silently destroying our families and squeezing the life out of the farmers. Farmers are going off the land and being hunted. The land is being taken over by forestry. People can plant forestry but they cannot get a licence to cut it. It is more control by the Green Party and regulators. The way farmers are being treated is bizarre. They deserve better. They deserve to be recognised and respected with a fair day's pay for a fair day's work and a fair price for their animals, not the control that we currently have.

As for the task force, we might as well have children making and stirring Bovril because they can drink it. They are stirring it around. There are former Secretaries General in charge and they will keep the rules they put in place. They will not make any changes and the farmer will not be any better off.

We will all be lamenting. Cad a dhéanfaimid feasta gan adhmad? Tá deireadh na gcoillte ar lár. Cad a dhéanfaimid feasta gan feirmeoirí na hÉireann? Beidh siad go léir imithe, as láthair, gone. It is so sad with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael celebrating their past heroes from 100 years ago. They are turning in their graves at what those parties have done to the country and they should be ashamed of themselves. I wanted to push this to a vote but the Government has a new plan of not tabling a counter-motion. I want to push it to a vote anyway.

See this speech in context