Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I thank the Chairman. I am glad of the opportunity to speak.

I wish to mention the fair deal scheme for farmers who get sick. We welcome the cap of three years. We hope that money will be provided in the budget to finance the scheme. I am very concerned that the value of the farm, including the dwelling house, will be assessed when determining the percentage to be paid by a farmer. It will be very onerous and tough for a young farmer if his father is in a nursing home, hospital or whatever. Let us say a farm is valued at €500,000, which would not be a very big farm, and 7.5% means a cost of €37,500 a year. That percentage, even with the three year cap, means a total of over €100,000 must be paid, which will place an awful financial handicap on any young farmer trying to start out in the business.

It is more than a fifth of the value of the farm. It is going to be very tough and one could not call that a fair deal at all. It is a very lousy deal for a youngster trying to start out, where maybe his father is taken out of the farm all of a sudden with a stroke or a heart attack. It is a very unfair situation. To every other person it is the family home. There should be some other way of assessing the farm and the family home. The family home is included in the farm as well. It is very severe and an attack on a young fellow starting out and I do not know how people will cope with that.

I want to support the suckler cow. Where I come from that is all we have back there and the farther westwards one goes the more sucklers there are, where in north Kerry it is more milk-based farming. In our side of the country, it is the suckler cow and people are struggling. In the marts of Cahirciveen, Milltown, Castleisland, Waterville and Macroom, the farmers are taking an awful roasting.