Local TD Denis Naughten has confirmed that he is seeking to be appointed to the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture.

A motion will be placed before the Dáil today (Wednesday) calling for additional places to be added to certain Oireachtas committees, including the Agriculture Committee.

Outlining his reasons for seeking a return to the Committee on which he was previously a member, Denis Naughten said: “I have been a vocal advocate for the food and agriculture sector in the past and I feel I have a lot to contribute to the current debate on the redistribution of the Single Farm Payment and the share-out of CAP funds as well as the forthcoming Budget and its implications for agriculture, which has huge potential to create jobs.

“I also believe there is an urgent need to overhaul the Department of Agriculture’s farm inspection regime as well as the way penalties are imposed in light of the fact that figures show variations of up to 780% in penalty rates for farm inspections across the country.”

He also pointed out that among the issues that need to be addressed are the retention of the public DVO office in Roscommon Town and the introduction of the Fair Trade Bill “which would balance the powers of the supermarkets against those of farmers”.

“I feel that I have a lot I could contribute regarding the development of agriculture and the agri-food sector and I would welcome the opportunity to contribute to the work of the committee,” concluded Denis Naughten.