I will share my time with the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley. I thank the Deputies for seeking the opportunity for statements on the fishing quotas for 2026. The Minister of State and I welcome the opportunity to further discuss this important issue and the concerns that continue to affect our fisheries and seafood sector. The reduced level of quotas available for 2026 has caused considerable concern not only for the fishermen and fisherwomen directly impacted by reduced fishing opportunities, but for the wider s…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for slating the really important issue of the situation regarding bluetongue in Ireland and giving me the ability to be able to address the House on it today. Bluetongue is a viral disease caused by bluetongue virus, which can cause severe clinical signs in ruminant species such as cattle, sheep, goats and camelids - alpacas and llamas. There are many different serotypes of bluetongue virus. The most common serotypes found in Europe are 1, 3, 4 and 8. Since the first detection of blueton…

I agree.

I addressed it last week and also this week.

I thank all colleagues in the House for taking the time to engage in what is an important debate and asking a number of questions I would be happy to answer. I acknowledge the presence of hill farmers from Galway and Roscommon, as well as the president of Macra na Feirme and other representatives with Senator Brady. In wrapping up, I will come back to each of the points that has been raised directly. I thank the Deputies who acknowledged the meetings I and my officials held and the ongoing engagement with members o…

I thank Senator Murphy O'Mahony for raising this important issue, which is very topical in this early part of 2026. Before I answer on the key points she raised, I will say that I am the youngest of three and, unfortunately, my dad died when I was eight years old. Back in 1986, my mother, as a 43-year-old widow, had a choice to make as to whether to set the farm to educate her three children. She insisted on continuing to farm it with me before and after school, morning and evening, because she said that if I grew …

I am leaning back into the personal element again. Happily, my wife and I continue to farm at home with four young children. I am passionately of the view that my daughter, who is only in junior infants, has every bit as much of an opportunity to inherit that farm as any of her three brothers. They will have an equal opportunity and it will depend on whoever displays the most interest in and passion for agriculture and farming. That is where we need to get to. That is why there are measures we can take. Having amba…

I am delighted to have the opportunity to address this important issue in the Seanad. In the context of Senator’s numerous uses of the phrase "conflict of interest" – I did not keep count – I heard no proof offered. I heard rhetoric. Where is the proof? Has Sinn Féin sought a briefing from the chairperson of Bord Bia? The Senator has sullied someone’s name under privilege in this House but has offered no proof. Her party has tabled a Private Members’ motion that will be debated in the Dáil for two hours this evenin…

It is a partnership.

It is a partnership between the farmers who produce the top-quality food to meet the very high standards set down and the audit system Bord Bia has put in place which allows us to give information to clients at the end and which, in turn, allows our farmers to reach higher value markets. Internationally, Irish beef is not competing on commodity markets with Brazilian beef because we go for higher levels of sustainability. It is due to the very data our farmers are inputting through the audit system that Bord Bia is…

That man has waived his fee and worked gratis, as a matter of public service, because he fundamentally believes in the important role Bord Bia plays. He sees what it has delivered for our farmers, our agrifood sector and for the thousands who are employed in our processing industry. However, for optics, let us just tear the House down and whip up farmers rather than explain the thing to them. The Senator did not want to know the detail here today.

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "further notes that" and substitute the following: "— the Board of Bord Bia, including the Chair, is made up of 15 members from across all areas of the agri-food sector, and its function is to promote, assist and develop, in any manner which the Board considers necessary or desirable, the marketing of Irish food and livestock; — the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine estimates that total Irish agri-food exports in 2025 will be a record €21 billion; — the…

That is not surprising. Explaining global food supply chains and contingency planning does not make for good social media clips. It is much easier for them to come in here and roar and shout as Deputy McGuinness is doing about giving a man the sack. Did Sinn Féin make any attempt to seek a briefing from the chair of Bord Bia on this issue before calling for his head? I did not think so; there is silence.

It is the same briefing I got and members of Bord Bia got. The Members opposite could have sought it before they called for a man to resign. Maybe the facts would not have been helpful as they are trying to whip people up. They have form on this. Their leader Mary Lou McDonald called for the head of the Garda Commissioner the day after riots in Dublin. Their housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin called for a senior Department of Finance official to be sacked because he did not like his opinion. With Sinn Féin it is sack f…

If this was about price, it would be a lot more than 1%. The Deputy does not like what I am saying. I did not interrupt him.

If this were about price we would be talking about a lot more than 1%. It is not. In general, if an Irish food company-----

I did not interrupt you lads.

I will offer the time afterwards to my colleagues as well.

Can I get his time afterwards?

As I was saying, if an Irish food company failed to address the contingency supply as part of a contract for a major international buyer of Irish produce, that client company would take its business elsewhere. Imagine for a minute here, with all their shouting and bluster, if that contract had gone to a Dutch, German or any non-Irish food company-----