Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party) | Oireachtas source

We will have a debate on Thursday about the importance of agrifood to the Irish economy and I call for an extension of time on that debate. Some Deputies will only have one minute 35 seconds to discuss this. We have a lot of issues relating to agriculture that need to be discussed, especially the highest level of TB in a generation in this country - it has gone up 44%. Irish agriculture is off the agenda here and it needs to come back on the agenda. Farmers are telling me that they are emotionally stressed and financially stressed. Their cattle are going down in the yard. They are going into factories killing clear. There has to be an answer to this crisis that has taken 41,000 cattle from the yard in the past 12 months and left no answers to farmers. I am asking for a proper debate on agrifood and the TB crisis that is hitting this country.

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