Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of supports for the farming community. As we know, we have had a pretty brutal winter and there has been almost incessant rain for the past six to seven months. A lot of supports are required to help our farming community through this difficult patch because it has really disrupted the normal farm routine. For instance, we still have animals in sheds and slatted units full of slurry. We have fertiliser that has not been spread and crops that have not been sown. I acknowledge the small progress that has occurred over recent weeks and the additional supports from the State, particularly for the horticulture, potato and tillage sectors. That is to be welcomed for sure.

The big takeaway for me and, I suspect, everybody in the Chamber is that the weather patterns are changing. It is only the start of the Irish summer, but we should already have an eye towards the Irish winter in about six or seven months' time. The big issue for us is cash flow. It is the lifeblood of any small business, household or small farm, the original Irish SMEs. Issues regarding cash flow include the predictability of farm payments, something that has been mentioned to the Minister on previous occasions. He said we are above average from an EU point of view. However, if, for example, a State employer did not pay its PAYE workers at the appropriate regular time, that would be completely unacceptable. Farmers should be treated exactly the same. There should be zero tolerance for any kind of slippage from a payment point of view. What is the reason for the slippage in payments? Are there not enough staff in the Department of agriculture? Is there a problem with the IT system? Is it a combination of both?

On the labelling of payments, a normal bank statement for a farmer shows money coming in from the Department, which is true and to be welcomed, but it is difficult to track what a payment is for, whether it is for BISS, ACRES or TAMS. We have excellent traceability from a farm produce point of view. Perhaps we could have the same traceability from a farm payments point of view.

Fodder support is another issue. One of the reasons we have muddled through the past few months is because there was surplus silage and haylage in the country due to prudent planning over the past couple of years through the fodder support scheme. That cushion has been completely exhausted and depleted and needs to be replenished as soon as possible. Are there plans for a new fodder support scheme for 2024? Farmers are making plans for the summer about whether to cut silage. We know the scheme last year was capped at €100 per hectare for a total of 10 ha. If there is to be a scheme, would the Minister consider increasing the cap beyond 10 ha to 20 ha or 25 ha?

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