Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

I support my colleagues who have raised the issue of over regulation. When regulations come down the track from Europe we, as a country and as a people, seem to automatically accept them. We should have a debate on this issue and I ask the Deputy Leader to facilitate that. For example, a farmer can produce 50 free-range eggs. I know a particular family which produces free-range eggs and they had to devise a system whereby the husband, wife and two children were each able to get a quota. It is ridiculous. The colour and size of the eggs must conform to all of these regulations coming from Europe.

I met a group called Slow Food which is involved in organic farming. In west Cork, and I am sure in other counties, there are Saturday and Sunday farm markets for home produced foods. There is so much regulation tying these down, rather than supporting activities such as cheese making in rural Ireland. One of the big complaints of fishermen when they meet me is that there is so much regulation from Europe and we, as a country, seem to be so anxious to accept this. Sometimes we should say "Hands off Europe, we will do some regulating ourselves".