Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That reply will not be acceptable to Dan Brennan and to the other farmers in the area. They attended a meeting of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine last week and there was great support for Dan. He was present with his wife and family, together with other farmers from the locality, and local IFA representatives. Although I am not a member of the agriculture committee, I attended it last week and this committee was very much of one voice on this issue. This is a cross-party committee which includes Government as well as Opposition representatives and the sense I got from the committee is that there is an appetite for a public inquiry into this. We cannot allow a situation to prevail where there is no accountability. This happens so often in this State and the one point I made at the committee last week was that any investigation which takes place needs to have very good, strong, robust and strict terms of reference which will allow for accountability.

To say this man has been failed, while trying think of the correct language one can use in this Parliament, is an understatement. A great deal more needs to be done; this will not be the end of the matter. I am shocked to hear the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine believe that is just it. That certainly will not be the case from the point of view of the people in the area.

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