Michael Collins urges extended debate on agri-food and rising TB
Michael Collins called for an extension of a parliamentary debate on the agri-food sector, arguing more time is needed to address a rising bovine TB crisis. He cited a 44% increase in TB and said 41,000 cattle have been removed from farms in the past 12 months.
Michael Collins said the scheduled Thursday debate on the importance of the agri-food sector is too short for the issues at hand. He noted some deputies would only have one minute and 35 seconds to speak and said 135 minutes are allocated overall, with a willingness to extend the debate into next week if necessary.
He described TB levels as the highest in a generation, reporting a 44% rise in bovine TB and stating that 41,000 cattle have been taken from their yards in the past 12 months. Collins framed these figures as central to why the agri-food sector must return to the parliamentary agenda.
Collins highlighted the personal and financial toll on farmers, saying animals are "going down in the yard" and that farmers are emotionally and financially stressed. He said many animals are being sent to factories, leaving farmers without answers to the crisis.
He flagged an issue with the availability to administer responses to the TB problem and described that availability concern as a very serious and accepted issue. Collins pressed for a substantive, properly timed debate to seek answers for farmers and the wider agri-food sector.
Call for extended debate
Michael Collins said the scheduled Thursday debate on the importance of the agri-food sector is too short for the issues at hand. He noted some deputies would only have one minute and 35 seconds to speak and said 135 minutes are allocated overall, with a willingness to extend the debate into next week if necessary.
TB statistics and cattle losses
He described TB levels as the highest in a generation, reporting a 44% rise in bovine TB and stating that 41,000 cattle have been taken from their yards in the past 12 months. Collins framed these figures as central to why the agri-food sector must return to the parliamentary agenda.
Impact on farmers
Collins highlighted the personal and financial toll on farmers, saying animals are "going down in the yard" and that farmers are emotionally and financially stressed. He said many animals are being sent to factories, leaving farmers without answers to the crisis.
Administration and next steps
He flagged an issue with the availability to administer responses to the TB problem and described that availability concern as a very serious and accepted issue. Collins pressed for a substantive, properly timed debate to seek answers for farmers and the wider agri-food sector.
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Transcript
We have a debate on Thursday about the importance of the agri-food to Irish economy, and I have called for an extension of time on that debate. Some deputies here will only have one minute, 35 seconds to discuss this. We have a lot of issues in relation to agriculture that needs to be discussed, especially in relation to the highest level of TB in a generation in this country. It's gone up 44%, and Irish agriculture is off the agenda here, needs to come back on the agenda. The cattle going down, imagine going down in the yard, farmers are telling me they are emotionally stressed, they are financially stressed, their cattle are going down in the yard, they are going to factories killing clear. There has to be an answer to this crisis that is taking 41,000 cattle from their yard in the past 12 months and leaving no answers to farmers. So I am asking for a proper debate on the agri-food and the TB crisis that is hitting this country. There is 135 minutes allocated, we will extend it if necessary, into next week. I think there is an issue with availability to administer, it is a very serious issue, that is accepted.