Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The common theme is that there are crises everywhere in agriculture and farming families are under pressure. The evidence is laid before us. The mushroom growers recently came before us. This puts pressure on the Minister for programmes and schemes to supplement farmers' incomes. Where I live, if farmers do not receive the single farm payment, or if the Minister does not introduce programmes, they make no income. They are eating into the money the Department pays them to keep their farms going. It is unsustainable and there have been many debates about the external causes. We touched on it with the mushroom producers earlier. The farmers and producers all seem to point back to the factory or the multiple retailer. Farmers seem to be totally at their mercy. These companies and big corporations seem to be in a dominant position, at least collectively.

While we can talk about the open market, the irony is that the Irish and European taxpayer is supplementing the price at which these corporations sell their produce on the supermarket shelf. The mushroom growers told us their fresh food is being sold as a loss leader. This can apply to alcohol and milk, and taxpayers' money subsidises it. Something is not right in that equation, and it keeps coming back to the Minister as a crisis. I understand there are complexities and it is all about good quality food for consumers, but it is also about lining the pockets of big corporations and the taxpayer paying. Is there any hope that there will be a different model in the future? I imagine we are not just talking about Ireland. There must be a balance. The market is artificial and there are rules and laws surrounding its operation. The corporations have too much of a free hand.

The mushroom growers made a request that the Government pay, as soon as possible, producer organisation the funding that is due to commercial mushroom producers for their 2015 programme. They could not enlighten us as to why there was a delay in the payment.

The Minister might consider a scheme which is not on his books. The mushroom growers explained to us that, from their height in 1996 of 600 growers, they are down to 60, having lost three businesses and 130 jobs recently. This is the fallout from Brexit. In many parts of the country there are empty polytunnels. The steel structures and concrete bases are there. Could the Minister come up with some scheme to support horticulture whereby we could grow produce more locally and supply it to local markets? The Minister could present it as an environmentally-friendly scheme which would reduce the carbon footprint associated with importing certain produce we cannot grow in the natural environment.

There should be some scheme for alternative crops because these empty polytunnels are eyesores. It would be an opportunity for farmers who have them on their land to get into another line of business and supply local markets. It would make much sense from an economic point of view and the great ambition we have to reduce carbon transport emissions created by importing and exporting.