Mattie McGrath criticises government over fertiliser costs
Mattie McGrath criticised the government's handling of fertiliser prices and the wider impact on farmers, arguing departments and regulators have been ineffective and small suppliers are being squeezed. He defended family farms, urged ministers to act and warned that rising fuel and energy costs will add to inflation.
Central criticism of government action
He said past and present governments have been able to be "manipulated" and warned that those in power do not sufficiently represent ordinary people. He questioned why measures taken elsewhere cannot be adopted here - citing Spain - and accused ministers of playing "mind games" on policy and price decisions.
Impact on farmers and small suppliers
He highlighted the squeeze on small family farms from feedlots and market concentration and saluted independent suppliers such as Pat Myers in South Tipperary and traders in East Cork. He argued that the rise of multi‑billion industries from former cooperatives has diminished the livelihoods of ordinary farmers.
Regulatory and watchdog concerns
He criticised the plethora of agencies, watchdogs and regulators as ineffective, saying they appear "toothless" and fail to hold powerful market players to account. He warned that farmers face severe penalties for mistakes while officials who are meant to protect them are not delivering.
Prices, inflation and international comparisons
He pointed to fertiliser and fuel being cheaper in Northern Ireland and other countries and warned that recent decisions to increase excise could add up to 23 cent a litre by October. He said those moves will feed into higher inflation and make it harder for farmers to secure fair input costs.
Protests, rural life and food security
He praised the dignified march to Dublin and the cooperation with Gardaí, saying farmers have pleaded for the right to live and work in rural Ireland and to be allowed self‑determination within the law. He also questioned the logic of importing more food given the carbon footprint and the decline of domestic family farming.
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I am bemused and intrigued. W. McNamara mentioned the foresighted Minister Bruton. He is around his house for a long time. I would love to know why Minister Tray, during his term, changed here. This is what intrigues me mostly about what is going on with this government and past governments. They are able to be manipulated. With the people here, we do not represent our people. If Spain can legislate for this, why cannot we? With the downside prices in Europe, if not farther afield, gas, electricity, you name it. We talked when we made the breakthrough with the couple of the wind, clean energy from the so-called fossil fuel, we get a breakthrough. In many areas, we thought we get breakthroughs. And Deputy Lee Ray referred to, his leader's question with the t-shirt, and he goes, when you go back to 2021, about the price of fertiliser. There are agencies there, and there are watchdogs, and there are regulators, and there are a plethora of officials, watching all these areas, and what are they doing? Because if the farmer makes a mistake, or if the farmer has incorrect information or by accident, or by accident in his application forms, he is severely penalised. So, it is time that other people are meant to carry the can if they make mistakes. And it is time that this Government, your Government, especially the Minister of McConnell and the Minister of Hayden, defend the farmers. Challenge, as we said earlier on, we talked about the beef balance, the feedlots, the way that that has all diminished the small family farms, and indeed has gone into such big, big, powerful entities, and what is going on. Now we have it again here, you know, with what is going on with the fertiliser. It is shocking. And I want to salute the small suppliers as well, like Pat Myers in South Tipperary, and indeed in East Cork, and many others that have there. And, indeed, when farmers struggled with bad springs and charges of fodder, these small people, they have the ethos now that the quops had, was set up to, the South Tipperary farmers, didn't become Avon Moore, didn't become land-begined, and got nothing to kill law now, whatever it is. They are going off into multi, multi, multi-billion industries, and they have forgotten where their roots fell. They have forgotten where they came from. Of the people, for the people, to help the people. And with great leaders in farming areas like TJ Matter and even Joe Ray, who was a friend of mine, and many people like that, and other areas as well. So, I mean, and the farming organisation, and they marched to Dublin, like Democra did here today. So, what is wrong? Where is the inertia in this government, and the last government, a number of governments, to serve the people who were elected to, our ordinary citizens, and to try and get the best price for them? In this case, get the best price for the farmers for the cheap, the reasonable price fertiliser, so they don't have to add on the price. We all know if you put up the aisle, and you voted for the year last week, you voted to put up, put back excise on fuel prices again, by up to 23 cent a litre by October. That's going to add up to more inflation. Sure, kindergarten people in school would know that. And you vote blindly for it. And the teacher came yesterday, and she questioned that he expected aisle prices to come down further. And he had to board him two nights before all his deputies to put it up, or sorry, a week before. So, I don't know what he expected. You're playing mind games with the people. So, we need to assert, and we need to have governments, and departments, and the likes of Board B, and the other agencies, to serve the people that are set up to serve. No good enough to find fancy offices and regulators with a blast plate on the wall outside, and fancy furniture, and a nice title, if they're toothless, useless, and fruitless. And that's what they are. Because they're not set up to tackle. It's a runaway train as regards the big supermarkets, as regards what used to be ordinary farmers' cooperatives, now they're multi-building industries. And what they do in other parts of the world is more important than they were looking after the basic farming, family farming and ordinary farmers. It's not happening. And governments here should be looking after our people. Why is it that fertiliser is cheaper in Northern Ireland and other new countries? Why is it that the fuel is cheaper? Why is it that the electricity is cheaper? Why is it that gas is cheaper? Why is it that we're the nearest in the class for everything? Why is that? Have we lost our will to live? Are we taking our instructions from other powers that are not elected to this House at all? Deputy Ray mentioned the Citizens' Assembly. I won't even go there. Any kind of issue you have now that you want to cloak and confuse, you set up a Citizens' Assembly. I'm surprised there wasn't one call today for some other topic we were talking about. Everything is in the Citizens' Assembly. Handpicked people then, and no proper representation by the sector that we're talking about. Is there any wonder the mocker came today with such dignity, and such respect, and such a plea, an honest goodness plea that there wasn't a bed work among them, or any kind of traffic blockades or anything else in the cooperation with the Gardaí, with the mantra, to be allowed to live in rural Ireland, to be allowed to have a fair living, to be allowed to build houses, to be allowed to have the self-determination within the laws of the land, but not to be forced out of existence, and literally squeezed out of business, and exterminated, and import all our food stuff from all over the world. What about the carbon footprint there? Sure, I mean, the thing is that it's an upside-down world that we're dealing with, upside-down countries certainly, what we're doing, importing those kind of foods. And we see, every year, we see more and more and more, as they've been making them out of the area, and horticultural farmers, and people growing potatoes, and growing carrots, and all those pastures, and everything else, being forced out of business. And when they're all gone then, the low-cost sellers, and I won't name them, but we know who they are, they charge what they like, unimported food, and sometimes it dries the bloody, an old ram's horn that was cut off a year ago in front of the bottles of the ditch. You couldn't eat it. Unhealthy, and the carbon emissions that came off that, and the transport of it to Ireland. So, stand up, serve the people you elected to serve, stop serving the big moguls. Thank you. L
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