Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister referred a few times to Teagasc giving him advice on the situation. Is that who advises him on the situation around the country? Would he agree that it got it very wrong when there were lorries basically coming off the boat when we decided there was a fodder crisis? The farmer organisations and co-operatives had moved and the farmers and the farmer organisations knew. What is the Minister's opinion on that? There are a lot of people watching this. How long does it take to get the refund in the first scheme the Minister announced? On the second scheme, the import subsidy, is it co-operatives? What about the merchants in the different parts of the country and the lorry people who have businesses bringing it from the east down to the west? Can they get involved in the English set-up?

The Minister spoke about loans. That is great for farmers for doing building or different things. However, we are three weeks away from grass and we will probably have a problem next backend. Can the Minister get the money from the Department of Finance in a loan system free into the next backend when farmers get the next single farm payment? Can he at least give €1,000? The Minister has to realise that farmers have the money spent and extra fodder bought. Either fertiliser or meal needs to be done for the next three weeks. To grow grass, fertiliser is needed but there also has to be meal to do it. Will the Minister commit to give at least €1,000 to buy a few tonnes of fertiliser and meal? In respect of GLAS, 15% still left. In the sheep welfare scheme, one run was done last Christmas. I spoke to different people in the Department. They said that until all the different problems of all the different people are sorted out there will be no new run done. A lot of money left in the sheep welfare scheme has not been sent out.

I will address inspections. Other than animal welfare, will the Minister ask the Commission to pull back on that because farmers at the moment are under ferocious mental pressure. As clarification, the Minister talked about the ANC scheme. In 2009, €50 million was taken from that by a previous Government. We got €25 million back. That was agreed in the Programme for a Partnership Government. It is nothing to do with the weather. Will the Minister make a comment on farmers who are expanding in the dairy sector at the moment? Commissioner Hogan has commented. What is the Minister's view?