Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

I will be looking with interest to the support of all parties on the "Yes" side from now on.

There is a serious challenge. I heard on radio this morning, as did all colleagues, that the farming community is coming to Dublin today. It was said by Senators Coffey and Hanafin that the farming community is still the bedrock of our economy and it may be the future for our country in a huge way, particularly with regard to energy costs, as technology is beginning to prove. We must take this issue very seriously. There is a commissioner in Brussels who is not supportive of Irish agriculture. We have the full support of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Government and the Taoiseach. We will use our veto. We will not accept under any circumstances anything that will injure or interfere with the livelihood of agriculture, which is the backbone of this country. We will say this from the highest heavens during the Lisbon treaty debate.

We heard this in the House last week from the president of the European Parliament. A Senator called on me today with regard to improving the profile of the Seanad in regard to the treaty. The president was here last week and it was uplifting to hear him. However, the great "Oireachtas Report", which we rely on to relay events in this House, gave us just the last few minutes of its broadcast. A report on a committee was even put before the proceedings with the president. Given how seriously this House is taking the business of the referendum, I hope the broadcasters to whom we have given the responsibility of broadcasting the affairs of this House take this into account for the remainder of this campaign and for the future. I say this in the interests of Ireland.

I have no difficulty on this issue. The Minister will be in the House next Wednesday to participate in our statements and to update us on the affairs of the debate on the treaty. I am in discussion with the leaders with regard to possibly having an MEP from each political party attend the House two weeks after that.