Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and apologise for missing the beginning of her presentation. It is great that she is addressing the committee. Most of my questions have been touched on and to avoid repetition I will ask specific questions.

I accept what Ms O'Neill has stated on the CAP and that it is the start of a process, but even at this stage can she state whether she has priorities which are important to farmers in Northern Ireland? In the Republic we have a strong sense of concern about the need for a well resourced suckler cow scheme, given the changeover in the dairy sector. Does Ms O'Neill have such priorities? Are there strongly held views in Northern Ireland on the debate between direct payments, flat rate payments and partial convergence?

With regard to young farmers and the issue of land mobility which is significant in the South, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney, have attempted to address this issue in recent budgets and continue to do so. It is based on our historical conacre system. Is it as big a problem in Northern Ireland? Ms O'Neill has mentioned that the average age of a farmer in the North is approximately 57 years and that the scheme for young farmers who are taking over is welcome. Does she see a difficulty in getting older farmers to retire? This needs to happen if young farmers are to take over.