Ms Norma Rohan:

Senator Lynch asked what is the most critical challenge around this sector. I allude back to what Deputy Lawless said about the responsibility being on farmers' shoulders in the context of tractors. This is not just a farmers' problem. This is an issue for everybody in the sector, including legislators and private companies, as well as all of us sitting around here. It is about a joined-up and cohesive approach. Whose responsibility does it fall under within government to create the policies and to create the legislation? When we talk about tractor driving and safety, it goes from one to the other. Who is pushing it? Whose responsibility is it? That has to start at the top to work its way down. None of us down here can do it unless it happens up there.

There was a question about our funding from Deputy Newsome Drennan. We rely on the generosity of companies like FBD, among many others in the corporate sector, who are giving back to their corporate social responsibility. Is that enough to keep us going? We operate on around €400,000 a year to run Embrace Farm. We currently we have €220,000 in the bank account so I have no line of sight after next January. That is how we operate. It is through the goodwill of our community fundraisers and all that kind of stuff. In order to keep going and provide the support we do when bad things happen on farms, I need core funding. I need sustainable funding and it needs to come from somewhere. We work hard at this. It is Ms Kenneally's primary job as our development manager. She works hard at that every day, but it takes away from our core work.