James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the debate on the forthcoming WTO negotiations concerning agriculture. The buck stops here and the future of Irish farming rests with the Minister and the Taoiseach. They must make the Government's position on the WTO talks clear and must prevent the selling out of our farmers, who are being driven off the land by one directive after another. This has become evident in recent years.

This is a time for the Government to present a united front in the interest of Irish farming, unlike the recent shambles referred to by Senator Scanlon in respect of the nitrates directives, where the issue fell between the Departments of Agriculture and Food and the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and became nothing more than a political football with resultant potentially devastating effects for the pig, poultry and dairy industries.

Seven Irish farmers abandon farming each day and many more face an uncertain future at the hands of the lame duck Government, beef barons and other cartels supported by the Government.