Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Taoiseach. He referred to rural Ireland in his opening remarks. In my opinion, agriculture is one of the key drivers of the rural economy. The importance of agriculture in the rural economy cannot be underestimated. It is our largest indigenous industry, as the Taoiseach knows, employing 173,000 people, with exports of €13.6 billion last year. Some 75% of the average farm income now comes from the single farm payment. With the announcement last week by the European Commission of the multi-annual financial framework, MFF, there are proposals to cut the budget. How does the Taoiseach think the Government will approach this issue? How can we maintain this budget in the future? If we cannot, where does the Taoiseach see substantial cuts coming down the line?