Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I will speak now. How long have I got? Two minutes, that is grand. I am sorry I was not here for the start of the presentation. I welcome the witnesses and thank them for coming in. It is important to have this interaction on behalf of farmers.

I resent that an assertion was made that farmers were drinking too much at home and that was a big problem. I do not accept that they drink any more than people in any other sector. I am a publican myself and have been doing the bar for almost 50 years. I cannot say that farmers have more mind for drink than any other sector of the community. It is a bit unfair and we need to clarify that. I do not give into that. I very much resent the fact that Shane Ross housed many farmers for good because they cannot come and have the two or three pints that they used to have. I fought hard for them so that they could drink and drive on local roads and not on regional or primary roads. Sadly, that did not happen but I stand over that. Many things have been said here about farm payments. We have been here for the past three weeks asking Ministers and different people to do something about the ACRES payments. We still read today that 1,500 farmers have not received their ACRES payment for last year. As a committee, we should write to the Ministers and the Government involved and ask them please to pay these people half their money now and then sort out the difference after. There are people in a bad way, with 1,500 families waiting for their money. I am asking for support from the rest of the committee for that.

Farmers work on their own and that is the one thing against them. Many have stayed at home rather than coming out at all since Covid. The group of people I am talking about is aged 60 to 75 and they are very isolated. I feel very much for them. Teagasc is doing great work, and we need to do more for those people to ensure that they stay. They are very worried when they get a letter about not complying with rules and regulations. The Departments must do their job and be more approachable and treat the farmers better. If farmers are not there, and a lot of them are disappearing because the young fellas are not taking it on, towns and villages will suffer as well.