Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)

A maximum payment of €525 per sheep farmer will do nothing to arrest the alarming decline in sheep numbers and in particular the decimation of sheep stock with the slaughter of ewes in recent years. The Minister's decision is motivated more by the numbers game rather than any strategic analysis of what the industry needs and flies in the face of the Malone report, for example, which clearly indicated the problems. What the Minister gives with one hand he takes away with the other. As late as last Monday at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council he decided to proceed with the compulsory electronic tagging of sheep which will take away more than the €525, which is the maximum payment. How can the Minister claim that what he is delivering to sheep farmers will in any way address the critical structural problems in the industry, which are the exodus of farmers from the industry and the need to ensure the breeding population is maintained in order sustain the off-farm employment associated with the industry?

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