Mr. Séamus Quigley:

I will give a practical example. I started farming in 1990 on a small farm. I have built up the farm by leasing a number of other farms and through milk production partnerships. I am aware of the issues. The issue of joint and several liability is a big one. When one approaches someone who might be interested in working with one, it is an immediate turn-off for them to learn they could be suddenly be responsible for one's liability. It is definitely something that needs to be examined.

I will return to the herd number issue. I have a farm manager. Many of those who qualified through the farm apprenticeship scheme in the 1980s left the agriculture industry because it is a hard life. Such people should have been allowed to build a certain amount of equity, but they did not have the opportunity to do so. I believe the same thing will happen in the future. It has been mentioned that the agricultural colleges are full. The expansion needed for Food Harvest 2020 will mainly come through existing farmers. They will take on employees to grow their operations. They will take on second farms and grow them with employees as well. Those employees must have an opportunity to build equity and get into farming in their own right.

The first step is to get a herd number. When my farm manager applied for a herd number, he was told that if he wanted to qualify, he would have to take out a lease of at least five years on land with facilities such as a yard and a crush. He did not need the land. All he needed was the herd number. He was carrying the stock with me. He wanted to build equity for himself so he could move on to the next level. Perhaps I would be able to offer him a partnership arrangement at a future stage. One will not take on somebody and offer them a partnership arrangement in the initial stages. One has to grow with them. It is like getting involved in a marriage. One has to know who one is getting involved with. That is the first step. It is important to allow young people to get herd numbers without tying them up in regulations.

I would also like to comment on lease arrangements. Four or five older farmers in my local area have said publicly that they want to retire. They are in limbo because of the single farm payment situation. They do not want to do anything that would put their single farm payments at a disadvantage. The families of a number of those who would like to retire do not want them to do so. If they retire and leave farming, the younger generation will have to pay the capital taxes associated with taking over and will not qualify for agricultural relief in the future.