Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I really appreciate the response of the Minister of State from his Department and I would be happy to work with him on a public awareness campaign, as would the hedgehog rescue organisations with which I volunteer. I am disappointed we cannot get a commitment from the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine on putting a stop to them being sold in discount stores. I agree that farmers are trained on how to use these and they know when they should and should not be used. The incontrovertible evidence from the British expert committee on this has found they are very harmful. I echo what the Minister of State has said on encouraging people not to use these products at all. It would be better if they were taken off the shelves. We all know we might live in a bubble and follow the news but most people will just go in and pick something up. If it is cheap at €1.50 and they think it will protect their garden plants, they probably do not realise the damage they are doing. I appreciate the Minister of State's response.