Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)

When the archives dating back to the 12th century were destroyed in the Four Courts in 1922, Winston Churchill wrote to Michael Collins. He stated, "800 years of Ireland's history may be blown to the four corners of the earth but the title deeds of Ireland are safe".

How many title deeds of farms throughout Ireland are safe after this budget, with its savage cuts imposed on the farming community and the younger and not so young farmers? These savage cuts are best illustrated by the Macra na Feirme example of a young farmer taking over the farm from retired parents. The cuts he or she would experience are savage — there is €15,000 of installation aid, €15,000 from the early retirement scheme and €1,055 from the disadvantaged area scheme. The suckler scheme is cut by €2,400, with the total loss of income for one year of €33,455. It is savage; could any other sector of the community afford such a cutback? If this does not put such farmers out of business, what does it attempt to do? This is even before we mention the 1% income levy and the abolition of the farm improvement grants.

A close neighbour of mine from north Tipperary was here last night frothing from the mouth — he is not here tonight — and he told me that he had supported Fianna Fáil all his life. His reward for doing so was for the Government to pick his pocket to the tune of €165,000, as he was preparing to hand over his farm to his son and take retirement. That is disgraceful.

The current state of the farm retirement scheme and installation aid amounts to broken promises. They were agreed under social partnership for six years and are included in the rural development programme for 2007 to 2013. CAP reform, with reluctant agreement from the farming community, was accepted to 2013 but that is another broken agreement. The Government has left sheep farmers out in the cold coming up to Christmas because it will not pay out EU funds to which they are entitled.

It is one broken promise after another. How in the name of God can the Minister expect the people to believe a word from his mouth when he tells us this is a temporary measure? It is no wonder the Lisbon treaty referendum was lost and the people are disillusioned with the Government. These schemes represent tremendous value for money and have the potential to create 750 to 800 jobs at a cost of less than €9,000 per job. This can be compared with the €90,000 it costs to create one IDA job here. The Government should be ashamed of itself.

The passion for agriculture was best demonstrated by John B. Keane in The Field, written in 1965. There is much similarity between the play and what is happening today. The play had the characters of the Bull, his son Tadhg and the Bird O'Donnell. There are many like Bird O'Donnell on the Government benches who are urging on this dastardly deed on farmers.

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