International Developments: Statements Dail Éireann — 2026-01-21 ============================================================ Paul Lawless (AON), Mayo The fact is that farmers are bound to the land. In other circumstances, larger corporations, etc., where regulatory burdens become significant, can migrate and relocate. They can create shell companies. Farmers are bound to the land. A farmer in Ballyhaunis, Castlebar, Louisburgh or anywhere across the country is farming that land. The Government is putting him at a significant disadvantage. It is a significant anti-competitive practice to allow a product with an inferior standard to compete in the same marketplace. The Government has done this to the tillage sector. Irish native grain growers are competing against genetically modified produce that is coming in from outside this country. --- 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/dail/2026-01-21/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-31T01:00:51+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-01-21