Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will not need ten minutes. I thank the Chair. I welcome Mr. Moroney and his colleagues representing the farm and forestry contractors. I can identify with everything that has been said here. I have been a contractor and have been a farmer, and I am still, and have been all my life. I started out with a Ferguson 135, cutting hay with a finger bar mower all around the parish, then going on to get a wonderful machine - a rotary mower - and so forth. I made forestry roads. They were endless roads. I know what it is all about, what is required and the tough work that it is. There has been a lot of talk about costs of repairs and replacing parts. I understand that. The availability of parts is an awful problem for everyone at the moment, especially since Brexit. Brexit has created an increased difficulty in sourcing parts for everyone in the plant hire business, whether they are farmers or contractors. There is also the cost of diesel and the increased cost of tyres, hydraulic oil and plastic. All those things have gone up. We have to ensure that the farmer can keep going because if they cannot the contractors will not be on the road either. Myself and others have made representations on the cost of fertiliser today. It is a very serious matter because if it is not addressed it will affect everyone on the road and everyone who has a wheel, whether it is a tractor, lorry or whatever other kind of equipment.

I support the call that they would be able to access TAMS grants but I do not concur with the idea that farmers should not be getting the grants. There was a lot of talk about tractors being parked in yards and no one to drive them. We all know how hard it is to get a contractor to do the work on the day that you want to do it. For that reason, I have kept a certain amount of equipment so that I can cut my silage on the day that I want to cut it. In Kerry, it is very hard to get contractors. They will not all come on the day it is dry and you may finish up when it is pouring rain, which is of no use, as the witnesses know.

I would not like farmers to be deprived of the right to get a TAMS grant as well as contractors. I support contractors getting the grant. The difficulty, however, which I know the Chairman understands, is that the cost of machinery has gone greatly recently but the TAMS grants have not followed in kind. We need to address that issue. The Government and the Department need to address it to ensure the grants go up in line with the cost of machinery. This was pointed out to me by a farmer the other day. He bought a slurry spreader and trailing shoe or whatever it was about a year and a half ago for €30,000. The same machine now costs €42,000 in the cheapest place he could get it. The grant needs to go up accordingly because costs have gone up.

I welcome the attendance of our guests. I understand what they go through and every nut and bolt they have to deal with, as well as all the problems they have. If we do not keep replacing and repairing machinery, all we will finish up with is a heap of it inside in the yard and the only thing it will be good for is to send to Hammond Lane. I know the trouble contractors have keeping their equipment up to date. I was glad to hear our guests talking about modern equipment for monitoring the spreading of fertiliser and all that. I wish them well. I support their request to be included in the TAMS grant but the way I was brought up is that you should not try to put other people down while putting yourself up. I am asking them again to desist from suggesting that farmers should not get grants for their equipment and everything will be fine after that.