Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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At the last meeting I attended here we discussed the fodder crisis and I asked how the take up on the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes, TAMS, investment programme was going. I was told there were no problems yet recently the Department released figures showing that a substantial number of applicants were in fear of not meeting the deadline on completing the work. Would the Department consider extending time to those farmers? Otherwise they may not get the work done in time to qualify for this round of TAMS.

I lend my support to the request that the Minister look after the suckler premium. I know we are talking about a big demand for the €200 but at least it could get started because the beef industry is in a bit of a crisis at the moment.

An issue raised in a few circles in my area concerns some kind of nitrates derogation. We had a very dry summer and many farmers took the gamble of putting out fertiliser but there was no take up. They went again and then the Department gave them extra time for the spreading of fertiliser. Some farmers may have gone over the limits in spreading nitrogen. Will the Minister be flexible when they apply for a derogation to allow for that because the first round was not taken up and they took advantage of the good weather in September to put down a few extra bags?

Many farmers cannot afford to take out any more loans. While I will not go down the road of the meal voucher the best judge of a farmer and his inputs and constraints in the past six or 12 months are the merchants and the co-operatives. The Minister should consider putting a loan facility through their good selves because they are the ones who have the bills to be paid. The last time the Minister did the farm loan I do not think the right farmers got the loan. I think the Minister would be in agreement on that. The bank manager took the first customer who came in and was at the top of the list, and those with a good cash flow. It is leaving some farmers at a disadvantage. Maybe the Minister could make some kind of loan system available through the co-ops and the merchants such that they would carry the book and pay the farmer and he would eventually pay it back to the co-ops. They are the people who will be caught at the end of the day and in that way the farmer who is badly in need and who will be short of fodder will be helped.