Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

What are the organisations' views on the fact that the situation has become so severe that there is talk of holding demonstrations this Friday across the country, including in Cahir and Nenagh in Country Tipperary? The impact assessment of the Mercosur trade deal has been delayed. I was speaking to IFA members from south Tipperary recently. They feel they are being made to jump through every hoop imaginable and the Mercosur deal has the potential to make an already difficult situation even harder for them. They raised the issues of inflation and the cost of living, which they say is never factored into the needs of the sector. That question is for the IFA.

My next question is for the ICMSA. Its members are being asked to do more and provide affordable produce at the same time. The CAP has shifted its focus from enabling farmers to produce food at affordable prices to the green transition. Have any of the organisations here ever been asked to discuss with the Minister or EU officials the prices they expect to see in supermarkets right across the bloc if all this happens?

My next question is for the representatives from Macra na Feirme. While elevating generational renewal as a key objective under the current CAP is welcome, the organisation said that it wanted a minimum allocation of 4% of direct payments ring-fenced for young farmers. That seems to be sliding back to 3%. What kind of an impact would a reduction by 1% have on young farmers?