Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The crux of the issue is whether the Minister of State is happy with that two-tier compensation process. The Department states that the owners were appropriately compensated, but clearly that is not the case. There have been letters, correspondence and a legal case to state and highlight that farmers were not happy with the outcomes of what happened back then. I have to really stress that not one penny was spared by the Government at the time. Any money which was needed for overtime, accommodation or checkpoint security was given, and the only ones who were left wanting were the people who lost their livelihoods. Everything else was paid for. An Garda Síochána and the Army were all paid for. However, the generations of livestock which was brought up over hundreds of years was lost. The farmers were the only ones who were not happy with this situation.

It is a deplorable situation where we now have a two-tier compensation package. Surely the Department, in good faith, in recognition of the importance of the agriculture industry to this country, and the importance of goodwill from our farmers towards our Department, that there is a re-evaluation and a reopening of this case. There are farmers who have received less than others. Desperate hurt happened 22 years ago, and that hurt is continuing, and when farmers are receiving more than others, that is wrong and an injustice which the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine should not stand over.