Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)

It is a very drastic measure for a man to go on hunger and thirst strike in order to obtain his rights and entitlements. At 7 a.m. this morning I was in Limerick city outside the office of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food where Donal O'Brien, a farmer, was on a hunger and thirst strike. I am pleased to say he has ended his thirst strike, which is a great relief to many people who support everything for which this man stands.

Previous speakers have made many of the relevant points. A total of 6,000 farmers are affected by this stand-off between Europe and the Department. The spin we are being given is that the Minister, Deputy Coughlan, is negotiating with the EU Commissioner to try to have the payments made. The implication of the spin is that they have changed the regulation but this is not the case. As Deputy Doyle said, Mairead McGuinness, MEP, outlined in the newspaper today that this is entirely a matter for the Department and there is no change in the regulation. The regulation is different for REPS 4, but not for REPS 2 and REPS 3.

The Government is hiding behind an inaccuracy. The benefits of REPS 2 and REPS 3 are to be seen in what they have achieved for the environment and for the weaker sector in the agricultural community. The schemes have been a means of helping people to stay on the land and invest in it. It should be remembered that farming is seasonal and farmers depend on payments being made consistently at the agreed time. Farmers budget around those payments. A total of 6,000 farmers are currently affected and this will grow over the next weeks or months. Many more people will be affected by the stand-off in the same way as Donal O'Brien and the 6,000 farmers. I urge the Minister of State to prompt the Department to release the funding immediately. If this matter is not addressed promptly, more difficulties will be created and it will escalate. I fear for people as many of those involved in the agricultural sector on this island are in a desperate situation. The Minister and the Minister of State are from rural constituencies and have the same sense of this as all of us.

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