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

I will be brief and to the point. I thank our guests for their attendance today. One of them said that without the payments for work in the farm schemes at present, farmers would be working at a loss. I fully agree with that, but I would go a step further. I know many farmers who are on farm schemes and, unfortunately, they are working at a loss. Only for the off-farm income of a partner or wife or their own off-farm income, they would be wiped out.

What type of environmental schemes are proposed to come on stream and what type of payments are there for them? Have the witnesses any indication of what will happen? We are currently looking at the rural environment protection, REP, scheme that is being proposed. There was a promise, with carbon tax and so forth, that no farmer will get less than €10,000 in this new REP scheme, but it appears that it will be €4,700. If that is the case, it is a disaster for farmers. That is the one they were depending on; it was the great REP scheme that was started previously. There is talk about the same amount of money now, and perhaps even less than when it was started over 20 years ago. If that is the compensation for people paying carbon tax and if that is the thanks they are getting, it is turning people very sour. The farming community is starting to seethe with anger. The carbon tax has not delivered, and it is rural areas such as the area in which I live that are suffering most. There was no greenways funding from the carbon tax, although that is outside the farm sector. However, it is frustrating people more.

My other question relates to dairy farmers and suckler farmers. There is talk of a reduction in agricultural activity in Ireland and of herd numbers dropping. Most people in my constituency might not have more than 50 cows, but if we take an average of 50 cows or suckler cows, to what number will they have to reduce to comply with the regulations that are coming on stream? Would the witnesses be able to give us those answers?

In addition, we discussed peat moss earlier. This is an absolute disaster. The new solution for Ireland is that if one cannot, one will not be producing anything, but we will import everything in through the back door. That is not a solution. We are getting it hot and heavy from the garden centres and others. They cannot understand the idea of importing peat moss into the country instead of producing it ourselves, and working towards a solution while producing it ourselves.

I would appreciate it if the witnesses would answer some of those questions.