Margaret Conlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

Deputy Crawford has had his opportunity, and I did not interrupt Deputy Bannon. The budget and Finance Bill extend a number of tax reliefs that are of specific benefit to the agri-sector, worth €65 million per annum. I am delighted that the REP scheme will continue in order to ensure it can continue to accommodate farmers wishing to join in 2009. The REPS allocation for 2009 will be increased to €355 million. In the partnership talks, the Government made a commitment to spend €250 million on the suckler welfare scheme. This, I am assured, by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, will be fully honoured, a point which the Department reiterated in the print media recently. It is incorrect to state that this is being lost to farmers as it is a new stream of income.

My Cavan-Monaghan constituency colleague, the Minister, Deputy Brendan Smith, is presented with most challenging times. The public financial situation had obvious adverse implications for expenditure across all Departments and difficult decisions had to be made in the best interests of the country. While some of these may seem unpalatable now, neither were they popular in the 1987 budget. However, a tough budget is needed to realign Ireland's path into the future if we are to find a solution after all the international financial and banking turmoil has settled, which could take longer than many had envisaged.

The developments post-budget 2009 present challenges and, more important, opportunities, for farmers and the agri-food sector. The sector operates in a dynamic, fluid environment that requires a flexibility, willingness and capability to change. The Government is also investing significantly in the dairy processing industry, through the dairy investment fund, to ensure it has the capacity and ability to process the increased production I believe dairy farmers will be more than capable of producing.

In conclusion, the Minister, Deputy Smith, posed the question tonight as to whether anybody would have thanked us had we eschewed our duty and abandoned long-term responsibility in favour of short-term populism.

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