Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

In trying to achieve economies of scale for farmers on small holdings we want to encourage farm partnerships, not alone partnerships within families but partnerships between neighbours in order that there will be a collective approach towards purchasing or leasing machinery, fertilisers, sprays and so on. Ultimately, we want to see facilities such as dairy parlours being shared to ensure maximum use. We want veterinary bills to apply to a number of farms rather than to an individual farm following the call-out of vets on different days and so on. There is a lot we can do to challenge and encourage farmers to act collectively while retaining their holdings. While not compromising the ownership model, they could buy into a co-operation or farm partnership model which we hope to encourage through the taxation system.

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