Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Veterinary Medicinal Products, Medicated Feed and Fertilisers Regulation Bill 2023 is meant to address two distinct areas of agricultural importance, namely veterinary medicines and fertilisers. While some of this is certainly necessary, there is total over-regulation across agriculture.

As the last speaker said, a large portion of farmers thankfully live to a ripe old age and are still farming into their 80s and 90s. Many are not computer savvy, but they are very proud, bright and well educated and provide wonderful husbandry of the land, flora, fauna, hedgerows and drainage. They understand and love nature.

Many rural areas do not have even a smell of broadband. We keep talking about access to databases and everything else. Some areas are lucky to have an old telephone line provided by Eir and others. In many cases the lines are fed into fields and are hanging into ditches. They are out of control.

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