Mattie McGrath: EU regulations leave farming 'in tatters'
Mattie McGrath criticised EU rules and their effect on agriculture, arguing that the benefits of membership have dried up and that ministers have failed to defend farmers. He said punitive European measures and mounting regulations have decimated sectors including young farmers and the pig industry and called for a total re-evaluation of the country's direction.
Critique of EU membership
McGrath recalled campaigning to join the EU at age 13 and acknowledged earlier benefits, but said those benefits have now dried up. He accused Europe of imposing punitive measures and excessive regulation and argued that Ireland is being penalised despite being "the best buyers in Europe."
Impact on farmers and agriculture
He warned that young farmers are being pushed aside - "anyone over 35 is in the scrap heap" - and said "our pig industry is lying in tatters." He added that fishing and agriculture have been decimated by current policies and regulations.
Commissioner, toolbox and the Ag Committee
McGrath referenced a Commissioner who attended the Ag Committee and urged ministers to "use every tool in the toolbox." He accused ministers of failing to open that toolbox or seek funding on behalf of farmers.
Europe Day and international conflicts
He said he was "not celebrating Europe day either," citing ignored conflicts worldwide and the "savagery" in Ukraine as evidence of broader failures. He linked these concerns to wider political discontent, saying people wonder why Brexit happened.
Domestic politics and the courts
McGrath criticised the minister for dictating to the people and said teachers and deputies feel constrained, mentioning a former great leader, Sean Lamass, who could not even be named in a recent debate. He also said Irish courts have sometimes failed to deliver justice, forcing people to seek remedies from elsewhere.
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I too, I remember as a vocalogue, who was 13 at the time, helping out with the enthusiastic Fianna Fáil team, pushing to join the EU, and we did, and we got benefits, let's face it, from the EU, but the benefits have dried up, and now we have regulations and sifting, and we have ministers like yourself, Minister, going over and saying, how do you want to jump today? We are the best buyers in Europe, that is the fact of it, and we are getting penalised and punitive measures being imposed on us here by Europe, and we are the best buyers in the class, and we take when we get him, 100 lines will do 200, young farmer now has to be, anyone over 35 is in the scrap heap, our pig industry is lying in tatters, and I hear, the Commissioner did come before, the Agrocolts Commission came before the Ag Committee, he said use every tool in the toolbox, and you didn't even open the toolbox, and look for money, what's going on with you at all? I mean, that's what the telling is, I do appreciate that many directives, you directives have our court, people have our courts, to the course there, when our own courts here, won't give any sense of justice, we've gotten it from over there, but I am very sad, and I am not celebrating Europe day either, and I see us now, we have ignored conflicts all over the world, our European deal, and people slaughtered of Christians, in different parts of the world, but now the savagery going on in Ukraine, and is savagery, but we are all on top of this one, that is going on elsewhere as well, and now the people out of us, so what is going on? Not too savagery, things are going on, and we wonder why we had Brexit, and things like that, so we need a total re-evaluation of where we're going as a people, not the government, because you don't need the people anymore, you dictate to the people, and we have Minister Ryan dictating, and the teacher can't even ask a question, he couldn't even mention the name of his former great leader today, when Deputy Collins raised the bill, Sean Lamass, he couldn't bear to speak his name, he was a visionary, and then the visionaries came afterwards, and here we are now left, and the scrapheap, off an island of Europe, our fishing, our agriculture decimated, and everything else as well, and we'll get nothing, only regulations after regulation, and the good buys in Europe, and crappies lie down.
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