Mr. Billy Gray:

Regarding the CAP proposals, we have been speculating about it for the past while. We call on the Government and the Minister to try to nail down the budget with the EU. Until a budget has been agreed, we are only speculating about the CAP. If we do not get a concrete foundation this side of 2013, it will be hard to go forward. We are all speculating but we cannot work on ifs, shoulds and coulds. We need a foundation to put under these discussions.

Regarding commonage, Ireland is renowned for under-regulation followed by over-regulation. When the commonage regulations are introduced, the Government is into over-regulating. The food industry needs farmers and farmers need the food industry. How many people are employed in farming and the food industry? We should not be talking about farmers on their own. The two work side by side. All of those workers, paying PAYE income tax, form a strong industry. The industry has not lost many jobs but we should bear in mind that farmers need the food industry and vice versa.