Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister for her reply. I note the date of the announcement of the package was May of last year, the run-in to a general election. Regrettably, there has been very little progress on it to date.

The Minister may need to be reminded of the signs of crisis in the industry at a practical level. This Easter, consumers could not source an Easter lamb. Sheep numbers have declined dramatically, as there has been a drop in the region of 2 million ewes in the past number of years. That is an industry in freefall. The European Commission recently contracted consultants to advise it on how to stabilise the position and reverse this trend. The consultants — Ernst & Young — were, I am sure, paid a great deal of money to arrive at a recommendation with which the House came up last October to the effect that there should be a return to a direct payment, perhaps €30, to farmers. There will be an opportunity for the Minister to deliver on this matter under the health check.

Why was the farm investment scheme suspended, particularly when €8 million in funding for sheep farmers was ring-fenced under it? At the stroke of a pen, the Minister removed this scheme. The idiocy behind all this is that on 18 October costings relating to the scheme were published on the Department's website, while on 20 October it was suspended. Will the Minister reintroduce the farm investment scheme in respect of sheep-handling and fencing grants — "Yes" or "No"?

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