Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Hayes, who is a very practical man and I am confident that he will have very good news for me.

The matter I raise is the need for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to reverse the decision made by his Department to end front office administration of the district veterinary office on Sacred Heart Hospital Road, Roscommon. The town has had an excellent and long-standing relationship with the district veterinary office going back to the 1960s when tuberculosis was rampant. The office was initially located on Circular Road and then moved to the Convent of Mercy site. It is now based in a beautiful premises on Sacred Heart Hospital Road.

I was in the office on Monday with forms for my own farm. My wife, Mary, was also there recently to discuss grants paid out in 2012. It is very convenient to be able to go to it and receive such good support from the courteous staff who work in it. I commend the staff for the work they do. The office is in a great location in the town and it has parking and other facilities that are second to none.

It is a great disappointment to farmers in the area that it is proposed to close the front office and reduce staff numbers to 1.5 whole-time equivalents, which would not be sufficient to provide a comprehensive service for farmers in County Roscommon.

Farming is going through a progressive period at this point, as the Minister of State knows. Roscommon is playing an important role in the production of first-class cattle weanlings and sheep. The reduction of staff numbers from 14 clerical officers to 1.5 whole-time equivalents in the Roscommon office would be a detrimental step for the area. The existing staff are well-trained with a great knowledge of farmers in the region, serving the farming community well over the years. There are successful marts in Roscommon, Elfin and Castlerea, with many livestock exporters in the area providing valuable jobs. They require a fully staffed district veterinary office to provide them with necessary documentation.

A neighbour of mine, Mr. Charlie Clarke, a representative of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, has been very active in highlighting the closure of this office. On Monday night, there was a large meeting, comprising 400 farmers, at Roscommon town mart to discuss the closure. Farmers there could not understand how the Department could move experienced staff from this office to the Department of Social Protection. It defies logic that staff with experience in an export-oriented area would be moved to an administrative unit and one for which they have to be retrained.

There are many livestock exporters in the area such as Mr. Hubert Maxwell who exports to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation. He has expressed great concern about the future of his business if this office is closed. The whole of the farming community in County Roscommon is genuinely concerned about this closure. Farmers would prefer to see this long-standing service continue and do not see the reason it should be transferred to Cavan or Portlaoise. There is enough work in the area for the continuation of this service.