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

I thank the Minister and his officials for their attendance. I have a couple of questions and ask him to note them.

At present, factories or operators that make meal bins export them but they are having serious problems acquiring the materials from the UK. The farming community buys an awful lot of machinery from auctioneers such as Cambridge Machinery Sales but as many as one in three tractors for import must be stored in yards in England because of problems importing them. Although officials in the Departments concerned and customs officials have stated there is no problem, truck drivers have experienced deep frustration when they tried to bring in this gear. Has the Minister met the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to discuss the problems?

Ireland has got €1 billion and factories will receive €100 million of that. Where does the Minister envisage the remainder will be spent to benefit small family farms?

Some State agencies have contracts to supply milk to the HSE, for example. Is there a danger that Brexit will put pressure on milk contracts? We have heard about the seed potatoes issues. Has the issue been sorted?

As the Chairperson outlined, there is talk today that officials in Northern Ireland will be pulled away and for safety reasons, the EU is rightly pulling some of its officials away dealing with imports of animals and food. Will that situation create a big problem? Last night, I heard RTÉ's Tommie Gorman say that a lot of this situation stems from the Article 16 problem concerning Ursula von der Leyen and company last week. Will the Minister get a complete explanation of what went on and how the cat was thrown among the pigeons in that regard?

The Minister went on media and said that he wrote to the European Commission asking for the deadline for the reduction in the beef exceptional aid measure, BEAM, scheme to be extended. Has he got any news about the scheme?

The Minister said that he wanted feedback and today I read about the new schemes that he has proposed. I would always say to those who criticise his Department that it is fairly efficient at giving out money. I read somewhere that schemes will be based on progress and whether something grows. If we go down the road of consultants doing locally led schemes, then there will be less money in the pockets of farmers. In fairness to the Department, if there is a scheme that stipulates one does X, Y and Z then one gets one's money and, in my opinion, the Department administers schemes more efficiently in respect of the overhead costs.