Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also thank the Rural Independent Group for bringing forward this Bill. I am disappointed the Government will not accept it, but I am not in the least bit surprised by this.

The Bill addresses the important issue of farm house and farmland repossession. It endeavours to tilt the legislative scale somewhere in the direction of fairness, which would be to the benefit of farming families. The Bill brings this issue into the light. As a representative of a large rural constituency in Tipperary, it is an important step in acknowledging the needs of rural Ireland and our farmers who are often called the custodians of the land. That description is accurate as there are many cases in which the same families have been working the same land for generations. Throughout that time, across the decades, those farmers and their families have risen to the challenge on every occasion to meet the needs of the State and society, which has not always been in their interest or to their benefit.

Farmers in rural Ireland lead the charge. They are invested in this country and we are indebted to them. Our farmers are to the fore in our response to climate change, and I am firmly of the opinion that they are both willing and able to deliver if the Government can put in place a workable framework to assist them in delivering the necessary changes, not simply taking an approach based on driving down production and expecting farmers to soak up losses in their already meagre margins. This view is not voiced enough in national debate, therefore, I add my voice to that acknowledgement today.

It cannot be disputed that our farmers are the bedrock of rural communities and this country. During better times and times of economic turmoil, farmers continued to contribute substantially not only to the national economy, but to local and rural economies, driving economic activity and helping to sustain employment across the State. This is true in Tipperary as it is anywhere else. In this context, repossessions of farmhouses and land is a particular scourge and blight on our society. This is especially so in cases where such repossessions are undertaken by vulture and investment funds that pay little or no tax while profiteering on individual farms in financial distress.

The former Master of the High Court, who I understand has drafted this Bill, in speaking on its background commented that one would wonder whether the marketplace was working to everybody's benefit equally or whether some people were profiting to the extent which was not really equitable.

From discussions with farmers over the years and from what I have heard at the Joint Committee for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, it is obvious that farmers understand credit and borrowing very well. Different agricultural sectors experience upturns and downturns due to various factors and farmers, as a matter of course, must plan for this. Ideally, we look at the State-backed loans offered to farmers via the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland repayment rates to prove that our farmers represent a good investment.

Of course, in the face of domestic and international pressures, some farmers will find themselves in a distressed financial position and the impact this will have on affected families and their own mental health cannot be over stated, as well as the impact on broader communities and local economies when such cases are taken in their totality. No Government can mitigate all factors, internal or external, but this Bill seeks to meet the State's obligation to those farming families to give them a fair opportunity and a fighting chance if they find themselves in such circumstances. Not only could it have a positive impact for those individuals, it should be recognised as being in this State's strategic interest to keep farmers on the land. That gets lost in many national conversations. The provisions of this Bill would give farmers a level of space to explore sustainable resolutions to their financial difficulties. It provides additional protections to the family home.

Sinn Féin believes there are areas and aspects of this Bill that may require more detailed consideration and in which measures could possibly be further strengthened but, in the words of the former Master of the High Court, who has drafted this Bill, it is all about protecting the small man or woman against predatory financial institutions. Families need to be protected from such institutions. Sinn Féin believes that these provisions and that sentiment are absolutely worthy of further consideration and engagement. I urge all Deputies to support this Bill and look forward to engaging with it in more depth on Committee Stage.

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