Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I agree with Deputy Upton. As she is aware, the review carried out by former Deputy Alan Dukes indicates the number of farmers involved. That number is detailed in the reply to another parliamentary question, but I cannot locate it. There is a change in profile of farmers. Many of them are involved in part-time farming and it is difficult to get young people to enter farming on a full-time basis. There should be a balance between both.

I do not agree that anything below a certain livestock unit is uneconomic. While it may be uneconomic in some terms it has an economic advantage in that it is part of the fabric of our rural society and that is the way it should be. We have tried to provide the opportunity, through the single farm payment, to those who wish to expand to do so and decide the way they want to go forward when it comes to the development of their enterprise as they are not now tied into retention periods, stocking densities or whatever. The change taking place in respect of practical issues such as marts being held in the evening to support part-time farmers, the provision of education at night and similar ideas reflect what is now happening in agriculture. We should try to achieve a fair balance but we must give particular supports to the people in farming for the long haul, who wish to have a viable income, and allow them to develop and flourish. Equally, there is nothing wrong with part-time farming. It allows investment as a consequence of an off-farm income being available to farmers.

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