asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he is in a position to say when the foot and mouth disease regulations will be lifted to allow resumption of shooting and fishing.
21.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Foot and Mouth Disease.
20.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will now remove the ban on angling throughout the State and thus enable anglers to make the necessary arrangements for spring angling.
22.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he can now indicate a likely date for the removal of the foot and mouth disease restrictions in respect of marts and fairs; and, if not, why.
23.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he is aware of the great hardship caused to farmers in the West owing to the ban on holding fairs; and when he proposes to ease the ban.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose taking Questions Nos. 20, 21, 22 and 23 together.
As I have already announced, the restrictions on shooting and fishing will be removed on and from Thursday next, 22nd February, and on trading at marts and fairs on and from the following Thursday, 29th February.
In view of the grave hardship which has been caused to farmers in the West, would the Minister use his good offices with the authorities in the West to have special fairs held to compensate for those which have been abandoned? Is the Minister not further aware that the spring, as we call it in the West, is coming and that you cannot just buy the spring.
I did not catch what the Deputy said.
The term we use is that you cannot buy seeds or manures, and in a month it will be too late, and would the Minister have special fairs arranged?
Surely the matter of fairs and area sales is a matter for local people? If they have suffered this great hardship indicated by the Deputy, surely it is the local authorities and not the Minister who should be concerned in this?
Is it not the Minister's duty in this regard? This is a very special case and the Minister might use his good offices, if he is interested in the people of the West, as he says he is, to do something in this regard.
Surely the Deputy does not want to make the House believe that he is interested in having the Minister for Agriculture interfering in when fairs are to be held?
The Minister interfered a lot in the past.
The Deputy missed the boat; he is a week late.