Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not think the Minister was. I do not think the farmers who were up here protesting were scaremongering either. They were clearly setting out their concerns. I have set them out as best I can in the context of the two percentages being used. The percentage for mineral soils and the percentage for wetlands and peatlands could be clarified in simple terms. I accept the Minister's bona fides in the context of what he said, but farmers tell us in serious representations that they are worried they will particularly affected on the west coast - Galway, Mayo, Donegal and so on. I can only listen to them and do my best to understand. It seems that there is huge scope and flexibility for the Department to comply with the regulation to protect wetlands and peatlands while not including the mineral soils that have been included. The Minister met those involved. Is another meeting scheduled that will clarify this to avoid continuous misunderstandings?

See this speech in context