Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To clarify figures, the average payment under green, low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS, was €4,200. The figure the Minister mentioned, €5,500, is about 25% on top of that. That is not CP zones. Under GLAS farmers were able to get extra money on the hills or whatever they were called. They were not CP zones. That is not an extra 50% going out, when I add figures the farmers are getting. Will the Minister tell me about the €113 million? It is the Minister, Deputy Ryan, who I really have the problem with because he is mad altogether for this carbon tax. We are taking €623 million, much of which is coming from the agricultural sector, so why can we not fit in all the farmers? In my opinion, if 70,000 farmers apply for ACRES they should be taken in. Why can we not do that, especially at a time when we have more money in the kitty, thankfully, than we ever had, as a country?