Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)

Due to the significant increase in the volume production of milk, there is a prospect of a severe super levy payment due from the State and individual farmers on 31 March 2012. While production is buoyant in Ireland, it is not the case in other EU member states. Based on the statistics for recent years, it is clear other member states are not even filling their milk production quotas. It is unrealistic that Irish farmers will be penalised because of a marginal over-production when other farmers in the economic community area are not fulfilling their individual or State quotas. There is a strong argument for the calculation of the super levy milk quota system on an EU community rather than national basis.

The Minister and his senior officials would be doing an excellent job of work for the dairy industry if they could succeed in getting a significant block of the unused quota of other States made available to Irish farmers. This is an issue of urgent importance to the industry. At a time when our economy could do with a leg-up from the EU decision-makers this is an obvious way to help, one which will not result in a cost in so far as the EU exchequer is concerned.

On agricultural education, some 7% of farmers EU-wide involved in the primary end of agricultural product are under 35 years of age, which has clear implications for the industry going forward not alone in Ireland but right across the Union. There is a need for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Teagasc to look at the educational programmes which they are currently organising. I had occasion recently to make inquiries on behalf of a constituent wishing to take part in a green certificate course. Owing to a reduction in the number of personnel operating in the educational end for Teagasc there appears to be no prospect of the green certificate course being delivered over the three year period. It must be a full time course, which has its own implications for young people working on farms. This issue needs to be addressed.

The programme for Government promises that we will have a fair trade Bill, in respect of which there is an urgent need. There is also an urgent need to get right the negotiating equilibrium between the primary end of the agricultural industry and the supermarket or retail outlet. A weighting arrangement needs to be put in place that will tilt the balance between the farming community and the multiples to a point of fair play. The multiples exercise a control that is way out of proportion to their position in the food chain supply industry in Ireland.

The Competition Authority raided the offices of the Irish Farming Association in recent days. It is hard to understand the reason it found it necessary to do so. The agricultural industry is at this time facing much greater problems with the multiples, who might warrant such a visit at this point. I am conscious that my colleague, Deputy Calleary, wishes to contribute. I hope we will have an opportunity to revisit many of these points at a time when there is real prospect of the agriculture industry recovering and making a significant contribution to the economic recovery of this country.

If one wants to designate areas that are truly national wealth creating areas then the dairy and beef sectors clearly fill that bill. They are way ahead of many other areas of economic activity, hence the importance of having policies tailored to ensure we are getting optimum benefit from their development and expansion.

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