Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

As has been said by many Deputies on all sides, it is difficult to understand the actions of the Competition Authority last week in the context of the ongoing difficulties faced not alone by farmers but by many small producers in their dealings with large multiples. It is difficult to understand why organisations such as the IFA, who are doing their utmost to keep the dangers of this issue in the public eye, are the ones being targeted. Given the inaction of regulators during the past number of years, leading us to where we are in so many other sectors, one would have hoped that those regulators still in business would have learned how to do their job that bit better. I know that the Minister, and I am sure the Minister of State, shares Members' concerns. However, I hope that concern is shared at the Cabinet table and that the Minister, Deputy Bruton, will express his concern about this matter. Otherwise this will continue.

For those of us who deal on a daily basis with agricultural issues it is no surprise that an arm of State, through red tape, tried to block the progress of Irish farming. Deputy Kitt has already referred to the difficulties in the new sheep scheme and we are all aware of the difficulties with the AEOS. If we are to collectively maximise the potential of all sectors of Irish agriculture, to reach the ambitious targets laid down in Harvest 2020 and to secure the future not just of rural Ireland but Ireland as a whole, then we must as a House declare war on needless red tape and ridiculous over-inspection. Surely, it is within the capacity of this House to devise a set of regulations and inspections that do the job that needs to be done in terms of compliance and keeping Europe happy but do not, as is currently the case, choke the opportunity to maximise the potential of Irish agriculture or frustrate many farmers to the extent that they would rather leave the industry than put up with it on an ongoing basis.

Surely, it is also within the capacity of this State to come up with a proper payment schedule and to give farmers information in regard to when they will be paid. I do not share the enthusiasm or hope of which the Minister of State spoke in regard to payments being made on time. Considerable difficulties and challenges have arisen in regard to mapping, issues that could be resolved if we had in place a more focused system that would allow people to get their money on time, again encouraging investment in the industry.

The agreement we have in this House will form the backdrop of what the Minister and Minister of State will have to deal with in the coming years, namely, the renegotiation and reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, which is one of the biggest economic issues facing this State. It is on a scale of importance with the renegotiation promised by Government of the IMF-EU deal, such is the impact it will have on this country. There is a willingness in the House to have a cross-party approach to agriculture. The Minister and Minister of State should try to build on this as we move into the talks for 2013. We all agree that failure to get the right result from the review in 2013 will fatally undermine the potential for a home-grown economic recovery, a recovery based on our meats, dairy, grain and, most of all, vibrant rural economy.

I did a great deal of work on farm safety during my time in the previous Dáil, in respect of which the figures continue to rise. None of us want to see needless injuries or deaths on farms across the country. I again ask the Government, including the Minister of State as a practising farmer, to pay particular attention to this issue and to guide the Health and Safety Authority in its approach to this issue.

Deputy Moynihan's motion has given us a roadmap in terms of planning agriculture and placing it at the heart of an economic recovery. The work done by former Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Smith, on Harvest 2020 provides much direction in that regard. The agreement we have in this House this evening around this motion and around the aims and ambitions for Irish agriculture should be maintained through the agricultural committee as face towards 2013 and the challenges this will place on communities across the country.

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