Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)

I cannot disagree with much of what the Minister has said. However, much of it relates to the long term. To ensure its survival the industry needs a direct cash injection into the hands of those at the coalface. The Minister is not offering any ray of hope to those in the sheep industry who have seen their incomes plummet. The Minister may well pluck a headline from the newspapers relating to sheep prices this week — I will not dispute the figures she quotes — but based on confirmed figures, incomes from sheep farming have plummeted. If we want to keep people in the industry and attract young blood to it, we must show that it can deliver a tangible financial reward for their commitment and investment of time, which is not the case today. If it is important to protect the industry and if it were possible to introduce a €100 suckler cow grant, why is it not possible with a political will to introduce a similar ewe grant scheme to stabilise sheep numbers? I am not prescriptive about it, the Minister can dress it up and call it whatever she likes, but we need a proposal to stabilise sheep numbers, which are in freefall. Talking about encouraging consumption in the future——

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