Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I thank my colleagues for their contributions and I welcome Senator O'Toole's strong words of support. I hope the contributions from the members of Fine Gael demonstrate our long-standing, clear and unequivocal support for the bedrock of society that is agriculture.

I welcome that the Minister of State has stayed for two hours to listen to the debate. I recognise that in the overall scheme of things he is a Minister of State in the Department and as I said at the outset of my contribution, it was a Fianna Fáil Minister, not a Green Party Minister, who imposed this budget on agriculture. The blame rests not with the Minister of State but with the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Brendan Smith, and his ministerial colleagues.