Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time. I find myself, as is often if not always the case, in agreement with what Deputy McGuinness said but I acknowledge that farm inspections, for example, have been eased in the circumstances, which has come as some small relief to farmers given the pressure they were under.

In the brief time available, I will discuss the fodder transport scheme. While it is well intentioned, I simply do not understand the 75 km rule, whereby the fodder has to be transported for at least that distance. I understand the Minister does not want to give a blanket sum whereby people will get the same sum whether they are transporting fodder from 1 mile down the road or for 100 miles. State money has to be properly spent and safeguards have to be in place. The 75 km restriction, however, seems to be overly bureaucratic, and if I were to be cynical, I would say it is designed to make sure the majority of people cannot apply, although I genuinely do not think it was intended as a cynical measure. In any event, I think we are moving from this year's fodder crisis to looking at next year's one and to making sure there will not be a fodder crisis next year.

Fodder, and the cost of making it, is probably going to be more expensive than it has ever been. While fertiliser prices have come back a bit, labour costs continue to increase and, above all, fuel costs are going to continue to increase, and that is what I wish to address. If there is any way the increase in carbon tax could be postponed until October, even if just for contractors given how important they are for the making of fodder, hay, silage and straw but also for ploughing and sowing, a lot of which is now done by contractors, or if a refund could be made available to contractors, that should be done. I am told the increase of 2 cent per litre is going to cost the sector €10 million over the summer, and that €10 million will be transferred, inevitably, onto customers and farmers. If the money that was set aside, therefore, which I do not think will be drawn down because of the 75 km limit, which in a bizarre way increases the incentive to transport it over longer distances and, therefore, would be contrary to the Government's stated policy on our carbon footprint and so on, could be used to either postpone or refund the sum by which carbon tax is envisaged to be increased, that would be a very welcome measure.

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