Michael Comiskey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the lads for their attendance and it is good to have them back before the joint committee again. We now have met a number of times in the lead-up to the budget and everyone hopes there will be no cuts. Hopefully there will be none, although one is told there must be more than €100 million in cuts somewhere within the agriculture budget. Certainly, for farmers on the ground and coming from a farming background myself, people are expressing the hope there will be no further serious cuts. The witnesses touched on the issue of land mobility, which is very important. Especially on foot of the abolition of dairy quotas from 2015, there will be an opportunity for young farmers in particular to expand. I was approached some time ago by a neighbouring farmer who was living beside a farm that was planted in forestry. It involved 60 acres of the very best of land by the standards of County Leitrim, that is, it was good limestone-based land. The farmer in question wondered whether it would be possible, after the crop of timber was extracted, for this land to be turned back to farming. He was even prepared to swap poorer land for it. I raised the issue with the Minister and with Teagasc and I note the Minister could make an order in such a case to take back that land. It was very good land that was planted perhaps 40 years ago or more and it will create a great opportunity for any farmer but for a young farmer in particular who sought to expand. In this case, he was making more, albeit poorer, land available for forestry. I have raised this issue number of times

The witnesses mentioned the dairy efficiency programme, DEP. My first thought was they were talking about a Belgian blue bull because I do not come from a dairy background. All such initiatives, including sheep discussion groups and beef discussion groups are very important for everyone because we can all learn. When I am not at home myself, I send my own sons to participate in the BTAP programme. They will learn more and will have better ideas for the future. In any event, some sort of a scheme will be needed in the future. While I acknowledge this may not happen in these difficult times, it will be necessary to consider a farm retirement scheme in the future to encourage those older farmers to hand over the land. It is very sad to learn that only 5% of farmers are under 35. When in place, the farm retirement scheme was great and perhaps in two or three years' time, hopefully we will find ourselves in a position to be able to re-introduce such a scheme and to give young farmers a chance. However, I agree wholeheartedly with the points made by the witnesses and will work with them to ensure there are no cuts or at most minimal cuts in the agricultural sector.