Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I am grateful to the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this matter. The end of the month, 31 March, is looming for many hard working, progressive dairy farmers throughout the country. Unfortunately, a hefty milk quota super levy bill is also looking for them because of the inflexible position within the industry. As Deputies representing rural constituencies will be aware, the milk quota regime is due to be phased out between now and 2015 and while a minor transitional arrangement is in place to cater for it, it is clearly inadequate. The previous Minister, Deputy Brendan Smith, introduced the Food Harvest 2020 strategy, which set ambitious targets for the dairy industry. Dairy farmers who are in the process of expanding their operations now find that they have to tailor production to meet the strict milk quota limits. At a time when the industry is reasonably buoyant, with the potential to help our export statistics, dairy farmers find themselves seriously constrained by the prospect of a penal super-levy bill. I would have thought progress could be made by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine on a bilateral arrangement with the United Kingdom. This issue has been raised in the House from time to time, certainly in the past 12 months or so. It is quite ironic that there is probably unused super-levy quota on this island - in Northern Ireland - which should be available to dairy farmers south of the Border, but it is not. I ask the Minister to initiate a concerted effort, now that we are well into the month of March and coming to the end of the market season, to prevail on the Commission to agree, even just for this year, to a bilateral arrangement under which unused quota in the North of Ireland would be made available to help our hard-pressed farmers who are on the edge as far as production is concerned. There is no logical reason we cannot have a bilateral arrangement with the United Kingdom.

At a time when the economy could benefit from a lift in primary production such as in the dairy sector, this seems an obvious area in which to introduce an initiative. It could help the economy, dairy farmers and the industry in general. I am glad the Minister is in the House to deal with this issue because I am sure he appreciates, on a personal level, the serious difficulties being faced by farmers. I await his answer.

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