Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the Ceann Comhairle selecting this Topical Issue again so soon after the last night we discussed it in the Chamber. On that occasion Deputies Carthy, Fitzmaurice and McGuinness were here with me. We were unanimous on the need for an investigation into what happened on Dan Brennan's farm in Castlecomer. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine discussed this approximately 12 months ago. We were of the view that a grave injustice has been done to Dan Brennan with regard to the pollution issues that were on his farm for a long number of years up to 2008. The questions that arose from that pollution, which placed financial hardship and pressure on his farm, have never been properly answered.

On the previous occasion we discussed this, we requested that the Minister hold an investigation into what happened on this farm in Castlecomer. A factory owned by CRH was operating there until 2008. There are big questions to be answered. Dan Brennan and his family have suffered great financial hardship over the years. They are still suffering mental anguish because of the repercussions of what happened to them during that period.

At the beginning of 2006 representatives from the veterinary college went to Dan Brennan's farm. A meeting was held in June 2006 in Kilkenny. At this meeting were the EPA, the head of the veterinary laboratory in Kilkenny, Michael Sheridan who was the deputy chief veterinary officer at the Department, Teagasc, Kilkenny County Council and vets representing Dan Brennan. There were 15 people in total at the meeting. The conclusion was that whatever the problem was on Dan Brennan's farm it was not disease. Despite this, the Department and the EU persist in stating the problem on Mr. Brennan's farm was disease.

I am a farmer. Cattle trials were done on Dan Brennan's farm. Cattle were taken from his farm and moved elsewhere to farms run by the State. When they went from Dan Brennan's farm the cattle could thrive. On his farm the weight loss was immense, as was the lack of performance and the deaths of animals. Why was this?

If it was a disease that was in those animals, then it would have followed them from one location to another.

There are so many unanswered questions here that Dan Brennan and his family deserve an investigation into what happened. Dan and some of his neighbours are in the Gallery. In 2008, and I only learned this from Dan Brennan in a conversation today, a Kevin Dodd, a representative of CRH, came into his farm. He saw the state of Dan's livestock and the problems he was having concerning the lack of thriving and the lack of performance of his livestock, and he said it would not go on for long more. Within a couple of weeks, the factory closed. When it did, over several years, the productivity of Dan Brennan's farm came back to normal. His cows doubled their milk yield and his cattle performance came back as well. At two years of age, his cattle were back to weighing 550 kg, or thereabouts. Prior to this, the performance was half this. This is recorded with trials, etc. Whoever was at fault here, it most definitely was not Dan Brennan and his farming practices. We are asking for an investigation into why there were such problems on Dan Brennan's farm. He deserves answers.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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We put this matter to the Minister a couple of weeks ago here and he said he would go and examine the possibilities of having this type of investigation.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank Deputy Cahill. I call the Minister of State, Deputy Burke. I appreciate his being here.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I also thank Deputy Cahill for raising this issue. I acknowledge the people in the Gallery who have come here to hear this Topical Issue debate. I am obviously taking this on behalf of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, who cannot be here.

As someone from a farming background who was reared on our family's suckler farm, I can really appreciate from Deputy Cahill's testimony how distressing an experience like this can be. I do ask him to be aware, however, that I had no knowledge of this case up until now and in the context of this Topical Issue debate. I will read into the record the contribution the Minister has sent.

During the Topical Issue debate on 7 November, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, explained that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, along with other public sector bodies, invested significant resources in an investigation of animal health and environmental concerns on a farm in County Kilkenny. This exercise concluded some 13 years ago and commenced a number of years before that.

The Minister explained that an interagency group was convened in 2004 to examine this matter. It brought together a broad range of scientific expertise, from the Department's laboratories, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Teagasc, the Health Services Executive, HSE, and Kilkenny County Council. That group reported its findings in June 2006. I also understand that during the latter part of 2005, the then Department of Agriculture and Food funded a comprehensive animal health programme on the affected farm. This included a programme of mastitis control, calf vaccinations and the provision of calf hutches for the 2006 calving season, as well as the provision of advice on enhanced biosecurity.

I am advised that the multiagency report concluded that the problems in this herd were multifactorial in nature and that common infectious diseases were likely to have accounted for much of the ill-thrift and poor growth rates recorded. It also concluded that there was no evidence of fluoride or cadmium intoxication of animals in this herd nor any evidence of environmental pollution on the farm. It is clear nonetheless that the events around this time were extremely distressing for the herd owner. Against that background, the Minister committed to considering this matter further.

To better inform this consideration, the Minister requests that Mr. Brennan would provide any evidence, in writing, that was not available at the time of the investigation to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Minister would also welcome any additional information, in writing, that Mr. Brennan believes was not properly considered at the time of the investigation. Once the Minister has had an opportunity to consider this new information, he will provide an update on this matter in the new year.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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A paragraph the Minister of State read out, and I know he was reading from a statement supplied to him, stated he was "advised that the multiagency report concluded that the problems in this herd were multifactorial in nature and that common infectious diseases were likely to have accounted for much of the ill-thrift and poor growth rates recorded". That is just fiction. When animals left this herd to go for trials elsewhere, their thrive recovered. Some 45 acres of vegetation, including ditches, etc., also died on the farm. How can someone then say there was not environmental pollution? This is just not acceptable.

As I said, when the factory closed, all the problems with ill thrive and lack of performance from this dairy herd changed. Now, it took two or three years for the recovery in performance to happen, but it is just not right to say it was infectious diseases that caused the problem on Dan Brennan's farm. This is just not the case, and it is just not acceptable. What I am asking and pleading for on behalf of Dan Brennan, to try to bring closure to this situation, is that an independent investigation be undertaken by an international expert. Let him come in and examine the evidence that was there. This case went to Brussels twice, and no satisfactory conclusion was achieved from those two instances of travel to Brussels.

I am asking now that an independent person would come in, examine the evidence that is there and let answers be found to what happened on Dan Brennan's farm. I know this is an historical matter, but the mental and financial anguish this man suffered has been immense. The least we owe him is to have an independent investigation undertaken to give him answers to the question of why this happened on his farm. This is what I am asking and pleading for. When four of us spoke here the last night on this issue, this was the question we had for the Minister. I see the last line in the response read out by the Minister of State refers to the Minister considering this in the new year. I plead for an independent investigation. None of the elected people in the Department, including the Minister of State or any of the other three Ministers or Ministers of State in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine were responsible for what happened in this case. What happened here is historical. Let the truth come out and let us see what was really the problem on Dan Brennan's farm.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Just to be very clear, I am not in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and I do not have any knowledge of this case. I know this is not acceptable at times for Deputies when Topical Issue debates and the issues raised in them are very important. Obviously, though, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, will have the detail and knowledge concerning this matter. When Deputies have visitors coming to the Gallery, I respect the fact that it is not ideal when someone like me comes in who does not have the detail or the knowledge on a case like this. This is because it is not under my jurisdiction. I will, though, bring back the issues raised here by Deputy Cahill.

Coming from a family farm, I know how well animals are looked after by farmers. My late dad had his herd depopulated back in the 1980s, which was a very distressing time for our family. I can, therefore, very much appreciate what it is like when something like this happens to someone's family farm. I refer to the investment in terms of the work and care that farmers put into their animals. It must be exceptionally distressing when something like what has happened in this case occurs. I can appreciate it. It is heartfelt when I comment on the sincerity with which the Deputy has raised this issue. I will again raise this case with the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, in respect of the Deputy's contribution on this matter tonight and put forward the strong case he has made. Obviously, the agriculture committee has discussed this as well. The Minister has put on the record here tonight that he has committed to reviewing this case in the new year. It is important to respond to the process and to ensure all the detail is with the Minister to allow him to make a determination in this regard. I will genuinely bring exactly what the Deputy said here tonight to the attention of the Minister.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Under Standing Order 54, Members may appeal to me in respect of an answer to questions. I signal here that I am not overly taken with this response. This is because what is being said here is that the Minister will consider new information. I do not think there is any new information in this historical case. The information that exists is that which existed several years ago when these events were happening. It is how this information is interpreted that matters. It is whether fresh eyes can be brought, as Deputy Cahill has said, to bear on this issue. I ask Deputy Cahill to bring this matter back in January, when we resume in session, and let us have a further opportunity to discuss it with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I do not imagine that the Deputy will be in a position to produce new information. It seems to me that copious amounts of information have already been provided. Anyway, sin é an scéal.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle.