Mr. John Hughes:

There is always the threat that people will exit the industry. If the industry is sustainable then people will remain but right now the straws are piling up on the camel and there is not much space left for more. There has been a constant stream of small incremental increases in terms of tyres, diesel and fuel. Plus, trying to manage labour has been a huge issue. Sometimes, when one wakes up on a Monday morning, one asks oneself why do I bother. There is a little voice in the back of one's head that says keep going yet another voice says that one is mad so it is a matter of time. One must liaise with clients and emphasise that if one does not get a price increase then one must find alternative work or retire early. One must be open and transparent with clients and, hopefully, they will realise that they need local contractors because without local contractors farms will not be viable. There is a symbiotic relationship between everybody. Just like with the environment it is all symbiotic. We, as contractors, are at the forefront of the relationship with farmer clients. As Mr. Moroney mentioned earlier, we go back generations with farms. We worked with farmers' grandparents years ago and now we are working with their grandchildren. We have made a long-term investment in terms of time and careers with our partners who are farmers.