Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)

As Deputies will be aware, among the cuts made in last week's budget was a decision to close off the early retirement scheme and the installation grant scheme for farmers. Overall, the allocation to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was reduced by 13%, over €210 million, with particular impact on the crucial area of research and development as, for example, with the cut of over €10 million in the Teagasc budget.

The actual size of the cut in the allocation for the two schemes I refer to is small within the context of the overall budget, but it represents a severe blow to those directly concerned. In my motion I specifically refer to those young farmers who qualified earlier this year for their farm certificate, awarded by FETAC, but whom, it would appear will not now be granted installation aid. I have details of 23 young farmers in County Kerry who are in that position. They were all informed in July that they had qualified for the certificate and assured in writing by Teagasc that the certificates would be issued to them within six weeks. I have a letter from Teagasc to the students, dated July 2008. It says:

I enclose a statement of your results in the above programme. If you have any queries about your results you should lodge an appeal, in writing, with your College Principal or Education Officer within ten working days of receipt of this letter.

Your FETAC certificate will be forward to your college or local training centre and FETAC tell us that this could take up to six weeks. The college/centre will then arrange to have it forwarded or presented to you. Please retain it carefully for future reference.

This is a letter from Teagasc certifying that these 23 young farmers, after doing a two year course, had qualified for the green certificate. That was in July, but as of yet they have not received it. Theoretically, at least, they are not now in a position to apply for installation aid and that is a major setback to young farmers starting out in life.

I also make the general point that closing the two schemes, as already mentioned, is a grave mistake. During the summer I met farmers in the west as regards the report being compiled for the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. One of the issues raised regularly is the fear that young family members will not continue to farm and that a family tradition will come to an end. Where there is no interest in taking over a farm, there is nothing anybody can do but we are talking about young men who want to farm, who have trained themselves to farm and badly need whatever aid is available to get a start. Abolishing such schemes represents a vote of no confidence in rural Ireland.

There are massive areas of potential within farming which can be tied in to the overall rural economy and farmers have been encouraged as part of the reformed CAP to examine new systems such as energy crops and other non-traditional enterprises. Therefore, to reduce the resources devoted to research and development and to discourage young people from taking up farming makes no sense. People want to continue in farming, but massive obstacles are being placed in their way. The closing of the retirement and installation schemes is yet one more such barrier.

I tabled this motion particularly on behalf of the 23 young farmers who come from all over County Kerry. As I said, it took them two years to do the course — two days a week, travelling to the Teagasc centre in Killarney, putting in a huge effort. Part of the reason for doing that is to qualify for whatever start up grants are available for young farmers. I ask the Minister to look at this. The very fact they qualified in July makes them eligible for such grants. To do otherwise would be an abnegation of all responsibility to these young people by the Department.

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