Mr. Dermot Kelleher:

I agree with Deputy Michael Collins. In fairness, they are talking about money travelling from the east to the west of Cork. It probably happens a bit but ten years ago, it would have been the other way. Let us remember that going back to the Treaty of Rome, this money was to help family farms in rural Ireland. A lot of this money came into disadvantaged areas in respect of suckling beef cow headage payments and all that. Over the years, it has moved away. Many smaller farmers in the beef and sheep sectors and small tillage farmers are suffering and their payments are very low. When we look at big dairy farmers and big enterprises that are profitable - four times more profitable according to the Teagasc figures - we can see that they are getting the same single farm payment or in many cases, way more. That cannot be fair or logical. We make no apology in calling for the larger share of eco schemes and other money to be given to the smaller farmers who find it hard to make a living, such as sheep and beef farmers and suckler cow farmers. We propose that in Pillar 2, the agri scheme should deliver real benefits to participating farmers. If they carry out the full range of measures, they should get something up to €15,000. In respect of the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS, between farmers' trouble, time and planning, they are only making Mickey Mouse money. It is a waste of time. If farmers do not get some reasonable payment for doing all this work such as planning and paying planners, they will not participate any more because the day when farmers cannot stay working for nothing has come. They must get a reasonable income from participating in schemes. This idea of income foregone, costs incurred is a load of rubbish. No farmer will work for nothing. If he or she cannot get it at home, he or she will have go away and get it somewhere else. I will refer back to Mr. Punch if he is there.