Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

The situation is not helped by the fact that since the advent of single farm payments, farmers are no longer required to retain sheep for premia purposes. There was, therefore, a support based on numbers rather than on the areas in which the people affected were living.

Prices for the year are up by approximately 5% on last year. There has been a drop in recent weeks. This is a market-driven situation and the difficulties relating to it will not be solved by——

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