Has the Minister considered using the mart and the farm walks as a platform for reaching out to farmers and delivering services or access there? He almost referred to it earlier when he spoke about people working very much on their own for days, maybe even for several weeks, when the silage campaign is on or during lambing. People can be very much isolated when they are farming, yet we see people will gather together at the mart. After the pandemic, it was very evident because even though the online option was available, people still gathered in to the mart. The Alzheimer Society or maybe the Garda often use the mart as a platform for meeting with farmers. Similarly, people are gathering together on the farm walks and they are obvious platforms that would be available. Has the Minister considered using those platforms to deliver support?

Sentiment score: 0.03

19. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions being taken to ensure no outbreak of bluetongue in Ireland on foot of recent outbreaks in the UK and Europe; if testing has been carried out on animals in Ireland due to these outbreaks in the UK and Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13741/25]

Sentiment score: 0.04

Will the Minister outline the efforts being made to prevent the spread of bluetongue to Ireland in view of the fact that it is in the UK and on the Continent? We are moving towards warmer weather, longer days and possibly an increase in the mobility of the midge population, which is potentially carrying bluetongue disease.

Sentiment score: 0.28

I thank the Minister for the details of the various efforts that have been made over the last number of years on this. I ask him to outline whether tests have been carried out on livestock this year. In addition to livestock, trucks and various other vehicles would be travelling back and forth between the UK and the Continent as well as across the Border with the North. Are tests being carried out on them or are they being monitored to ensure they are not carrying midges or infected livestock? What efforts are being made to ensure vehicles are disease free when they are crossing the Border?

Sentiment score: 0.25

On the question of vigilance within the farming community, if a farmer identifies the disease that means it is already here. My focus is on preventing it travelling to us here, whether on vehicles going back and forth on ferries or across the Border. Are efforts being made to ensure that those vehicles do not bring the virus with them? The Minister briefly referred to the possibility of vaccines. Is he going to make vaccines available to people who want to vaccinate livestock?

Sentiment score: 0.09