Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I would have mentioned it previously both in this House and earlier during Question Time that the Department has been doing a great deal of work on different models. Our work is not complete. I can give the spokespersons some access to the particular data on a confidential basis if they can understand where we are coming from in that particular respect.

I have made the point continually and strongly, and I made it directly to the Ministers from the former eastern European countries, that they have a different cost base than us. If they were using our currency a euro would go much further in one of those countries from the point of view of production and income than it would in western European countries. They are not comparing like with like in that particular instance. We are opposed to the flat rate model but we must ensure we have different models in place and that we apprise ourselves of the best systems that can be put to use for our own farmers.

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