Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

We had a discussion about this whole section in the Department before coming into the Seanad today. There is a problem with this because several Departments and several Acts deal with poison. They could be the wildlife Acts which come under the responsibility of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, or Department of Health rules and regulations in place around the use of poisons. There is some ambiguity here with which I am not happy. We are looking at deleting section 18 in its entirety with a view to relying on the NPWS regulations and providing a legal basis for dealing with poisons, how they can be used, who can use them and so forth.

While certain protected species, such as raptors, need to be protected from poison, we must allow a farmer to deal with a lodging problem in a crop such as thousands of crows eating a field of barley or wheat. There is a practical response needed here as well. We want to re-examine this section and maybe even get rid of it. The Department should deal with the use of poison on land in its entirety or let some other Department do it. To have three different Departments with slightly contradictory points on poison will only lead to uncertainty. I am not happy with this section and the Department wants more time to examine it. The Senator's amendment sparked off this discussion in the Department. I am more than happy to come back on Report Stage with an improved or deleted section, if the Senator so wishes.