Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Thank you for the encouragement, a Chathaoirligh.

For those who do not know, I am on the Agricultural Panel. I am a practitioner of horticulture, I studied horticulture and I wish to raise two issues in that regard. First, I wish to deal with an issue the Irish Cattle & Sheep Farmers Association, ICSA, has raised. I have had representations from counties Kerry, Galway, Monaghan, Clare and right down to Cork concerning the sheep industry. The wool aspect of the industry is on its knees. I have received a letter from a member of the Connemara Mountain Lamb organisation. He sheared 245 sheep, and the fleeces for this number weighed approximately 355 kg. He got €17.75 for the wool from the fleeces of 245 sheep. The industry is on its knees. I asked the previous Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine that we would establish, as all the farm organisations have asked, a proper organisation dedicated to the Irish wool industry. We have an amazing product that is exported all over the world, yet somehow we do not have a proper processing plant for it in this country. We are talking about rural agriculture, the west of Ireland and a Government of three major parties that have advocated soft supports and improved incomes for Irish families and farms. We need to address this. I had the previous Minister before the Seanad for a Commencement matter on this and he did not give us much hope, so I want the Minister with responsibility to come before the House and consider the call for a dedicated Irish wool forum.

Finally, I wish to address the issue of horticulture. There are only two sentences in the programme for Government on horticulture. There is not a mention of a Charlotte, an onion or a cabbage. What is going on here? We have a green tinge to this Government. I wish to put on the record of the House that the lack of any ambition or commitment for the Irish horticultural sector is extremely disappointing and needs to be addressed. We are importing cabbages, onions and potatoes weekly into this country.The mushroom industry is in crisis and anyone who represents Monaghan, Cork or Carlow, where the industry is thriving to a certain extent, will tell you first hand of their experiences. We need to address the horticultural industry and we need to provide practical support to the sheep-wool industry. We need to walk our talk rather than talk, talk and more talk.