Mr. Seán Finan:

Mr. Barber has given some of the outline. We want a fully co-funded scheme. We support the other organisations in their call that the scheme would be fully co-funded to bring the €11 million up to €22 million. We welcomed and called for a top-up for young dairy farmers as part of the last scheme. We were delighted that was secured. It delivered €1.5 million - €1,000 to 1,500 dairy farmers. Given the amount of money involved here, we acknowledge that it could be spent across a number of different sectors. If it is to be a flat-rate payment, it will be a relatively small payment to all farmers. If it is to be a flat-rate payment, we call for a top-up to young farmers.

It should be used to strategically develop the industry. Considerable work could be done at farm level by investing this money strategically, which in the long run that would put more money in farmers' pockets. I know there is an issue with cashflow at the moment, but the volume of money to be paid out would be relatively small when divided across all the industries. As Mr. Barber has said, it should go into some kind of grassland improvement scheme or measure where the costs of reseeding would be covered or partly covered as part of that.

As it will be too small a pot to spread across all the sectors, it should be used strategically. We have to have a strategic focus on agriculture because ultimately it is about equipping farmers with what they need to make them more efficient and ultimately drive profitability within the farm gate. We acknowledge there are factors outside the farm gate, as we have faced this year, which are out of our control and put incomes under severe pressure. That is where we stand on the measure.