Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. It is unfortunate that, even as we speak, many farmers will go out of business in the next few years because their young fellas are not taking up dairy farming. They find it too difficult and the hours too long. The vilification of farmers and the cow is stopping young fellas from going into it. There is no encouragement. They feel like they are blamed for the rain, the heat and everything else. No other industry or anything else is tackled in the same way as the poor farmer and the cow farmers. There is no comeback on lads up in aeroplanes or whatever but the farmer is an easy target.

Many farmers are going to go out of business. I was asked to say that the latest nitrates action programme has not been in place long enough to demonstrate we were gaining and improving. How many waterways have been damaged by local authorities or Irish Water? In the Lough Leane catchment area, where farmers are now being targeted by this, several treatment plants are not compliant and there are none at all in places like Scartaglin and Curra. It is very unfortunate that the finger is being pointed clearly at the farmer.

The Minister's leader gave out to me for raising the issue of culling cows or suggesting that he would want to have cows culled. That is what is happening. I raised it more than two years ago. The only way out for farmers now is to cull cows. He has to admit that either he did not know what was happening or he knew but did not want to tell us. That is not fair on farmers, however. Farmers who got their cows in calf last July now have no option other than to send heifers that are heavily in calf into the factory. I am appealing to the Minister of State. I am relying on him to get people around the table in order that they can see this is wrong. It is cruelty to animals.

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