Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the IFA representatives. I must declare an interest, as I am a paid-up member and I am a former chairman of my local branch in Schull, west Cork. I am also a paid-up member of the ICSA and I am proud to be a member of both. The Schull branch members got rid of me in the end. I was a thorn in their side because I always stood up on behalf of the small farmer. I have had lengthy discussions with them. Even prior to the budget, I had many discussions with Cornie Buckley, the excellent IFA chairman in west Cork. He put his points across and, thankfully, it was a fair budget in respect of farming, especially at a difficult time because suckler cow, dairy and grain farmers are struggling severely. The IFA officials will be well aware of this as they deal with them on a day-to-day basis the same as I do. I called locally in west Cork recently for the co-operatives to be more lenient. Some of them were angered by that. I did not read the reply in the local newspaper from the co-operative chairperson who was angry about my plea to the co-operatives, the banks and the Department of Social Protection to give some ease to farmers who were in severe difficulty. I called on the Taoiseach to do the same during Leaders' Questions.

It is hugely important that we have a Taoiseach who will work with the IFA and the other farming organisations to ensure the co-operatives, the banks and the Department of Social Protection work together because many farmers are in serious difficulty. During the negotiations on the programme for Government, I had many angry discussions with the then Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, about the fact that some farmers are in receipt of €150,000 under the single payment scheme but, sadly, most of the farmers in Cork South West, which I represent, earn less than €10,000 per annum.

This situation needs to be addressed. There are only a small number of people affected but the amount involved is huge to a farmer on a low income. I am a small farmer. If I did not have my income as a political representative I would be in serious trouble. I could not survive on the income I get from the farm. My single farm payment amounts to approximately €3,000 per annum, which is a pittance. There is no way out of that web once one gets caught in it. While I am not personally caught up in that way many of the farmers I represent are and they believe that the current situation is unfair.

I would urge the IFA to take a look at the situation with a view to ensuring a fairer system. I understand that bigger farmers have higher costs but €150,000 is a huge amount of money. This issue needs to be examined. I had many serious and heated discussions on this issue with the Minister in the context of the programme for Government, as did other Deputies from rural communities. This cannot continue and it must be changed.

Looking at the budget from a positive perspective, the additional 500 places on the rural social scheme is welcome. This is one of the issues I have discussed regularly with Mr. Cornie Buckley of west Cork IFA. Under this scheme low income farmers can get a small top-payment while working in their communities. In fairness to the Minister for Social Protection, he has increased the number of places on that scheme by 500, which, hopefully, will come about quickly.

The walks scheme was also mentioned, which, in the main, emanated from west Cork, including the Sheeps Head Way and the Beara Way but development of these walks has come to a standstill. There are many areas of the country that want to see the development of walkways in their area and funding in this regard needs to be directed to them. The co-operation of farmers in terms of development of these walkways is brilliant, particularly in west Cork. There are a great success story in terms of tourism. Verge cutting, another issue related to farming, although at a low level, is a huge issue in rural Ireland. The withdrawal of responsibility for verge cutting from the local authorities was a disastrous move. They are now pointing to responsibility in that regard being with the landowners. Everybody is pointing the finger at the landowner but if a landowner when cutting a verge cuts away part of a ditch he or she is taken to task for doing so.

Responsibility in this regard should rest with the local authorities. People in rural Ireland are paying enough in taxes to enable the local authorities to undertake verge cutting. The IFA needs to be stronger than it has been to date on securing a reversal of that decision which was taken a number of years ago. We are encouraging tourists to come here to see our beautiful country. Many cars used by tourists to travel around the country are being damaged by overhanging bushes and briars and as a result they are not getting their deposits back on cars hired when they return them. That is not good enough. This is an issue for the local authorities and the IFA needs to be stronger in terms of its stance in this regard. Obviously, over-growth of bushes and briars on the inside of a verge is a landowner issue but over-growth on the roadside should be a local authority issue.

On planning, I come from a peninsula. I am involved in the board of management of a local school in my area. While the school is well staffed and has an excellent principal enrolment at the school is decreasing, which is indicative to me of where things are heading. There are few employment opportunities in the area. The current planning laws are deterring people coming to live in rural communities. I had a meeting the other day with a person who was refused planning permission because of the seven year clause. We need to start using our heads. The position of Government in terms of whether it wants to see people living in rural Ireland is questionable. Rural communities will not survive if the planning laws are not relaxed a little. I accept that the IFA has been strong on this issue down through the years.

Reference was made to the CEDRA report. Many rural post offices and Garda stations have been closed. The two banks on the peninsula where I live have closed. We no longer have a bank in the area which means people have to travel up to 25 miles to Goleen, Skibbereen and Bantry to do their banking, which is incredible. As I said, many rural post offices and Garda stations have been closed and while I do not anticipate any reversal of the decision in that regard I ask that the IFA strongly support us in trying to bring it about. I am sure that members of the IFA are aware of the new proposals regarding post offices, including that they be 15 km apart. The idea of travelling post offices has also been proposed. These types of proposals will worsen the situation for rural communities rather than help them. The CEDRA report has not been acted on. The Leader programme has been destroyed in most areas because it is no longer community-led. These are all serious issues. There is no point in people telling me that things are improving because there is no evidence of that in the constituency I represent.

Many farm families are dependent on off-farm income, including, for example, income earned from home help provision. I would urge the IFA to try to secure more funding for the home help service in rural communities. In my own area we are finding it very difficult to secure an additional hour or day of help for people under the home help scheme. People often ask me why it is they are eligible for help from Monday to Friday but are deemed able to help themselves on Saturday and Sunday. People's circumstances do not miraculously change at the weekend. It is important issues like that are addressed.

I acknowledge the work of the IFA in regard to the fair deal scheme and I urge it to continue its work in that regard into the future on behalf of the many people who are experiencing serious financial hardship in respect of loved ones in nursing homes. While I could speak for another hour the above are the main issues arising for me. As I said earlier, I am a farmer from a rural community. There is need for a clear understanding of the huge differences in farming from area to area. Farmers are being fined because they have scrub on their lands but what can they do? They cannot remove the hills. There is no clear understanding or common sense being applied in relation to farming as a result of which people are suffering. It is my job to represent the views of these people. I am pleading with the IFA to continue to work with us into the future. I look forward to working with it.