Address to Seanad Éireann by Members of the European Parliament Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-27 ============================================================ Fiona O'Loughlin (FF), Administrative Panel Our MEPs are incredibly welcome to the Seanad Chamber this afternoon. I am listening to the breadth of the work they have all undertaken, some in similar areas and some in more niche areas. We thank them for the work they are doing on behalf of the 1.8 million people who live within the region they represent. I listened to Ms Carberry talking about dementia. I met the FTD Brothers this morning in Kildare. They are just incredible; Jordan and Cian and their dad, Greg. They were able to turn a really difficult personal story into one of hope. It resonated with what Mr. Cowen said in relation to the extremes that we see, the hatred that is in evidence within the political world and outside it, with racism and different elements that really show an awful lot of negativity. What I learned this morning from the brothers was that shared sense of compassion, understanding and respect for one another for wherever any of us are at. I really felt that there was a very strong message there for us. I know we are looking forward to meeting them in Government Buildings tomorrow as well. Many of the MEPs focused on the whole area of agriculture and the CAP. Without a shadow of a doubt, that has to be the first priority. As part of the European affairs committee, we have had several meetings with the president of the IFA, Francie Gorman; Liam MacHale, who does an incredible job in Brussels representing the IFA; and, of course, Damian McDonald. The real concern about the proposed reduction of 20% there is very tangible. We cannot accept that for a number of different reasons. We have to do everything we can to support not only our farmers and their livelihood but also the rural communities within which they live. Many of us represent rural communities, and if it were not for the farmers who are spending their money within those rural communities, a lot of the smaller businesses we have would not survive. We in Fianna Fáil are incredibly proud of the role Mr. Cowen has taken as lead negotiator with the Renew group. I am delighted to hear that Mr. Flanagan is taking that role as well. I have no doubt that, wearing the green jersey, we will have such a strong input in that regard. The generational renewal in farming and supporting the female farmers are hugely important as well. If I may bring up something related to agriculture, namely, the equine industry, I know that two of the MEPs have particular experience in that. The scale of that industry cannot be overstated. It brings about €2.4 billion into the Irish economy and supports about 30,000 jobs. Counties such as mine, Kildare, have become internationally recognised equestrian centres. There is a huge issue about proposed EU transport regulations that could place huge additional pressure particularly on breeding horses right across Europe. When we have an industry that brings so much money into the country, when it provides so much employment and has an international recognition, we have to do everything we can to protect that. While animal welfare is hugely important, we have to do everything we can not to undermine one of Ireland's most important rural industries. If I may mention the peacekeeping element for Europe, I was really glad to hear the Taoiseach speak last week about how Europe must come together to challenge Israel. While there is an agreement at Government level that we would proceed with the occupied territories Bill, and that is incredibly welcome, it is really important that all of Europe come together to send a very strong message to Israel, and indeed to any country that would promote war and would have such aggression against its near neighbours. Stronger pressure has to be placed on the Israeli Government regarding civilian casualties, access to humanitarian aid and adherence to international law. Supporting peace and security must mean being willing to call out actions that undermine the protection of innocent civilians. I am interested to hear the MEPs' views on those aspects. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-27/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:00+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-27