The fact that a Co. Kilkenny farmer is now in a stronger position to compel the Irish government and relevant agencies to focus on animal health problems he has encountered on his farm was a tribute to the concern which the European Parliament had for the rights of the individual EU citizen.

This view was expressed by Independent MEP Marian Harkin who participated in the hearing by the Parliament’s Petitions Committee in Brussels today, Tuesday, January 30th, of the petition of Kilkenny farmer Dan Brennan concerning problems on his farm.

She paid tribute to Green Party Councillor Mary White for organising Mr. Brennan’s appearance before the Petitions Committee which had proved both rewarding and disquieting for those who attended, she said.

“I raised a number of questions at the hearing but the replies to these, and to the questions of other MEPs by a European Commission representative, raised serious issues about how Irish Government departments and agencies have been responding to a very serious problem being encountered by an EU citizen”, she said.

She continued:-  “having listened to details of the problems encountered by Mr. Brennan and of the response by the authorities in Ireland to requests from the Petitions Committee for information, I am most disturbed at what would appear to be a reluctance to provide information or, equally alarming, having little information to give, stonewalling seems an accurate description of the response so far.

“The Petitions Commission have indicated that they will pay a study visit to the farm of Dan Brennan on their forthcoming visit to Ireland.  This, along with their further request to the Irish authorities for information regarding the situation on Dan Brennan’s farm, should expedite this matter.

“Dan Brennan and his family have been under severe personal and financial pressure because of ‘unexplained symptoms’ where livestock and trees have been affected.  It is in his interest and in the interest of the workers in the nearby brick factory in Castlecomer and indeed in the interest of the wider community, that this matter is resolved and that EU legislation is complied with.

“We hear a great deal about compliance where farmers are concerned and about the stringent penalties imposed on non-compliant farmers – let us have equivalent levels of compliance and penalties imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency in this case, Marian Harkin concluded.