William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Minister did say it. The Minister said there would be no fines. I attended the meeting in Athlone. There are all different views out there. Farmers were coming out of that meeting terrified of what was going to happen. Traditionally in farming, we all knew the land like the back of our hands. We knew what was the wet field and what day of the year we could go out. Farmers had to get used to being told when to spread dung, when to spread slurry and when we could go out. We can go out on a wet day if we like because it is within the calendar of farming. It would take a huge generational mindset to change what farmers did down through the years because it was handed down from generation to generation and they knew every spot in a field. This is why there was so much resentment at changes. People found it, and still find it, difficult. Parts of it have been good, but other parts have been very difficult.

On tillage, there was €32 million to be paid to tillage farmers as part of budget 2025, which is €40 per hectare. Is that ring-fenced for the next five years? Tillage is likely to decline this year again. This is an important point for the officials here. The numbers of farmers in tillage is falling, which the Department can see. It was 334,450 ha. That went down and it is going to go down again, yet the Minister is saying that we are going to have an increase of 360,000 ha. Unless the Minister puts something in there very quickly, then he is not going to meet his climate targets. He has not a hope.