James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I was surprised at the criticism of a former Minister from this side of the House by Senator Dardis, a representative of the party of transparency. Never before in the history of the State has there been such intervention by beef barons, big business and the Minister for Finance in the appointment of a Minister for Agriculture and Food. The Taoiseach's arm was twisted by all of those mentioned to convince him to reappoint the Minister, Deputy Walsh.

Fine Gael has always had a strong commitment to farmers which will continue under the leadership of Deputy Enda Kenny. This party has provided some of the best Ministers for Agriculture whose achievements were recognised, both within Ireland and in Europe. When we return to government, we will reduce the red tape which farmers have to endure when applying for funds and schemes to which they are entitled. The Government has imposed more heavy regulation, bureaucracy and penalties on agriculture than is the case in any other EU member state. I call on the Minister to ease the burden of regulations on farming and make penalties more proportionate to the extent of any infringement.