Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin supports a prohibition on fur farming and as such we will be supporting this Bill. I commend the Minister on bringing it to the House in a timely manner. It is important to note that while many of us probably have little interest in, or understanding of, fur farming and it would be an alien concept to many, it is important to put on record that those who have been engaged in it have been doing so legally and to standards that have been set out. Through the deliberations at the Oireachtas agriculture committee and other engagements that have been had, there has been no suggestion that those who have been operating in this sector have been doing so to anything other than the absolute standards that have been set out. There have quite clearly been animal concerns and societal concerns and this has been raised. I think it is appropriate that in 2021 we are acting on those concerns.

There will be scope for further deliberations on proposals for amendments and I hope the Minister will be open to that. I have some questions about the huge flexibility now in place with the compensation package. The Minister will know that during pre-legislative scrutiny there were very different sets of figures set out, by the Department on the one hand and the industry on the other, on the actual costs that may be involved. I note some of the points of contention are not defined in the legislation itself and therefore it is important we ensure we do not end up in a situation of serious dispute, especially as this legislation provides recourse to the High Court. It would be an absolute travesty if we ended up in a situation where huge sums of money were spent in legal wrangling as opposed to addressing the issue.

The position of the workers is also a very important issue that must be addressed. This is a very unique situation. There are people working on farms earning a wage as PAYE workers and who are going to lose their jobs because of an Act of this Oireachtas. In this circumstance it is entirely unfair they would merely be entitled to statutory redundancy and I hope some Ministers will be able to outline how that matter can be addressed going forward. There were particular issues raised during pre-legislative scrutiny regarding the removal and disposal of asbestos at some of the sites. I do not know if the Minister can indicate whether those issues have been addressed. There have also been issues about engagement with local authorities on any planning issues that might arise from the change of use or dismantling of these farms. Again, it would be useful if we could get clarification on whether the Department has carried out assessments of all that.

There are a number of areas regarding animal welfare concerns which need to be addressed by this House. I welcome and commend the fact we have made progress on this issue. I look forward to and hope the Minister will work constructively with us as we move through the remaining Stages of this Bill. The Bill allows, as is usual, for the Minister to set out a timeframe for when this will be enacted. I would welcome a commitment that it is his intention that when the Bill proceeds through the Houses of the Oireachtas, which I hope we can do speedily, he will act speedily in enacting it so we can clearly show this House has been decisive in moving forward on this issue.

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