Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to raise this issue and call on the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Mary Coughlan, to honour her contract with farmers on the rural environment protection scheme, REPS. The Minister must ensure that suspended REPS payments are made as soon as possible, clearly explain what is happening at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and what she is doing to remedy the matter. Farmers are clear that the contract they entered into with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food included the payment of REPS 2 and REPS 3 as an advanced payment.

The depth of feeling relating to this issue was demonstrated at the meeting at the offices of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in Limerick on Sunday. This meeting was in support of the sit-in protest by farmer Donal O'Brien who was on hunger and thirst strike because he was promised his payment and informed he would be receiving payment but at the end of last week was told he would not receive it. Mr. O'Brien was taken to hospital tonight as a result of his experience. We wish him a speedy recovery to health.

The pay freeze on the REPS payment follows hot on the heels of the suspension of the farm improvement scheme. The announcement that no advance payments will be made for REPS 4 leaves farmers in the lurch when they need to make vital capital investments. Thousands of farmers are being hit by the freeze in REPS payments. Many of these farmers will have taken out loans to invest in essential infrastructure on their farms. This creates a serious cash flow problem while they await the arrival of their funds.

The way in which the situation has been handled by the Minister and her Department has also left a lot to be desired, with farmers being left completely in the dark. The Minister must put in a strong argument for a solution to this problem but she must also inform farmers as to what is happening and when they can expect the release of REPS 2 and REPS 3 payments.

The Minister states that the problem lies with the EU. However I believe it is within the control of the Department of Finance, which is limiting the amount of payments. The Minister needs to clarify this situation as a matter of urgency and needs to make a more concerted effort to communicate in an open manner with farmers, to reassure them in light of the forthcoming CAP health check and to quell uncertainty in the sector.

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