I welcome the time that has been set aside to discuss bluetongue. Our farming communities have been contending with challenge after challenge over the past few months, with the detection of bluetongue being one of the latest. We need to be frank. The full extent of bluetongue across Ireland is unknown. More than likely these animals were infected last summer. The first case was detected in County Down last November and the most recent was on a farm in County Wexford. This shows clearly that this is an all-island issue and it must be treated as such. The Department needs to take all the proactive steps possible. This is about protecting our agricultural sector and our international reputation. There are a few questions around the tracking and the tracing of animals, for example, those that had left the Wexford farm. Some would have been sold off. We need to get answers on how that tracing and tracking is going because we need to know where those animals are. It is the same when it comes to the animals from the cases in the North. We need to know if those spread anywhere. As Deputy Kenny said, we need to know about breeding animals because we know bluetongue can be passed along this way. With the help of the Minister and his Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael colleagues, Bord Bia has been dragged into controversy but we cannot allow any more harm to the sector from the lack of action. It will be during the summer months that the spread of this disease will be at its height. We need to see a national vaccination campaign rolled out. That cannot be a burden lumped onto farmers. The Government needs to rally behind them with supports and cover part of the price of the vaccinations. At €9 per head of cattle, it is a significant cost for most farmers. The Government cannot look at this as a cost, it must instead look at it as an investment in protecting our agricultural food sector. Over the past few months, we have seen time and again where this Government has failed to put our farmers and the agricultural sector to the fore. We saw it in its passive opposition to Mercosur and we saw it as it rallied behind their man, Larry Murrin, despite the outcry from across Ireland. Last night I attended a meeting of the Kilkenny Irish Farmers' Association, with around 100 members present. They are sick and tired of being taken for granted by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Farmers are woven into the fabric of the communities that make up rural Ireland and they want to see Irish farming thrive. They want to see a strong environment and a vibrant farming sector that they can pass on to their children, knowing it will provide a good life for them and not be a burden. As a mother raising a family on our farm in south Kilkenny, I want that too. We need to see a step-change from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in how they treat our farming communities. I commend the farmers who have travelled from across the island to protest at Bord Bia around the clock, and the men and women who have stood their ground inside the building. Their message is clear and simple: enough is enough. I ask the Minister to not drag his feet on this issue like he has on so many others. I ask the Minister to roll out an information campaign on spotting signs and symptoms of bluetongue and on the biosecurity measures farmers should be taking to prevent the spread of the disease; to ensure there is an adequate supply of vaccines available; and to support our farmers as they face yet another financial burden. Reassurances are very sensible. Bluetongue poses no risk to humans and no food safety issue but history tells farmers that reassurances are often short lived and quickly overtaken by layers of regulation, movement controls and trade consequences that far exceed the biological reality on the ground. Farmers will rightly ask whether Ireland is once again holding itself to a standard that goes well beyond what science demands and far beyond what others are required to meet. When announcements are made, we need trust. That trust will be responsible, with the measures evidence-based and fair and not be just another blunt instrument that keeps Irish farmers permanently on the back foot.

Sentiment score: 0.15