Róisín Garvey (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Yes. We have got to get this right to keep rural Ireland alive. There will be nobody left in my community if the farmers and their wives, husbands and children leave.

On the means tests, we have capped direct payments, agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, payments, areas of natural constraints payments of €250 million this year alone. We have the National Parks and Wildlife Service farm plan schemes, organics, life projects, wild Atlantic nature and corncrake live projects. Farmers are getting paid to protect habitats. We have €30 million coming for breeding waders. Lots more money is coming. We need to get all our MEPs not just getting agreements but fighting for more of these payments and fighting against Mercosur. That is when means tests get taken into account. We cannot ignore all these eco-payments and say the means test has to happen. They are the only way forward in some ways. Diversification is the only way forward. We cannot pretend everything can continue as usual and we can have beef and dairy production only, except with more money. We need to look at that. What solutions are the witnesses proposing? We can help with financial support for mixed sward or to buy machinery that digs slurry deeper into the ground. Farmers cannot afford all of that big machinery on their own. The means test is a big part of it but I do not know if we can ignore all means testing because we have to differentiate between the size of farms and the payments people are getting. There are so many more payments that are now available.

I talk to my neighbours all the time. Many of them like ACRES and are happy with the organics scheme. We have quadrupled organic numbers in County Clare alone. We need to bring more to the table than just means testing. I do support the proposal on PRSI. Means testing is really unfair when it comes to gross income where people lose three quarters of their income in costs on the farm. I would love to know whether there are other sectors that have ignored gross income and payments and gone with the message all the groups before us are suggesting.

I better stop talking now or our guests will kill me.