Mr. Enda Monaghan:

The Department has informed us that the front-loading is caused by budgetary issues. The Department has also said that if it gets more money it will direct the funds to tillage or dairy farmers. My answer to that is that if the tillage person wanted to join the scheme before now he would have done so. The scheme is wrong. The Department may put money aside to target tillage farmers but he will still not join the scheme. The scheme provides €170 per hectare or €70 per acre, which is worth less than a tonne of barley. The crop will be reduced by half so no tillage farmer will opt to join. The Department gives €900 for wild bird cover for three hectares. We have suggested that the Department pays half that sum for four or five hectares so one could grow one's own feed. One of the porridge companies wants oats and wants to target tillage farmers. Such a move would leave us without feed. That is why we have suggested that the Department front-load a payment for tillage whether it is an outdoor winter crop, oats or barley. It would mean we could supply cattle and sheep the whole year around and meat factories could seek a suitable market.