Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I pay tribute to the beekeepers outside and to Senator Martin for bringing forward this legislation. As an inner-city Dub, biodiversity and bees do not come naturally to me and I found it a learning experience over recent days with the emails we have been getting and the threat the Irish honeybee is under.

The Civil Service response is to the effect that it contravenes EU law. Trade should not and does not trump climate, biodiversity or the need for protection of pathogens. If we are to get to grips with our climate response, we have to understand that. Sometimes that will require making balances against trade. It is important, particularly given that the Bill comes from the Government side of the House, that Government parties work in co-operation with Opposition as a political system to try to change that and challenge the inertia we might see from the Civil Service when it comes to doing that. The Green Party has the full support of its Government partners, as we can hear in this full House, and across the board in the Opposition. We need to work as a political system to challenge that and ensure this Bill is passed.

It is vital that native Irish honeybees are protected for themselves and for Ireland's ecosystem. We have talked an awful lot in this Chamber about biodiversity and how important it is to protect it. We have also talked about how sometimes biodiversity requires taking no action. This is not one of those cases. The beekeepers outside have told me that while you might not have one or two generations, when you have the super hybrid of cross-pollination against bees you might in a couple of generations end up with dangerous bees and you do not know what you are importing or bringing in.

The Labour Party is supportive of the Bill and would like to see it progressed as quickly as possible. I assure Government Members that this side of the House will back and support them using the weight of the political system to fight the inertia we might see from civil servants who do not necessarily want to progress this. I urge Senator Martin to engage with people on pushing to get this beyond Second Stage so it is not one of those Bills that goes into the ether and that nobody else will address. We do not have time on our side when it comes to something like this.