Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)

I appreciate all of that. To give credit where it is due, something is being done. A crisis has been allowed to evolve over the years. What we need this morning, if we can get it, is a commitment as to when this is going to happen and clarity on those issues I raised regarding the difficulties farmers going to the market are going to have and so on. We need to see that clarity. We also need to see where the budget for this is going to come from. From a departmental point of view, it will obviously cost more to bring in these new rules and regulations and implement them properly. If they are only half-heartedly implemented, they will not work. All of us, including the Minister, understand that. That will require more resources but it will put farmers in a position where they can have confidence in the scheme. The problem we have at the moment is that farmers do not have confidence in it. They see feedlots and other things that are hit-and-miss in how well they are run and they have difficulty understanding why all the emphasis has once again been put on the farmers who find themselves in a situation where TB has spread to their farms, often through wildlife.

They are the ones who feel they are being punished for it. We need clarity and we need to ensure the budget is there to ensure people can have confidence in this new scheme.

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