Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

We have an opportunity in 2012 to exert pressure. Nobody would like there to be a euro of a penalty in a super levy. I do not have the figures to hand but I hope it will not be as high as €20 billion. I agree with the Deputy that it should not happen but I can tell him that the Government is doing its best. We have an opportunity to raise this issue and I ask that the Deputy's MEPs and Members of all parties act on this. The butterfat correction is one way of doing this and the other way is to front-load the yearly increase. I can promise the Deputy that I, my colleagues and everyone in the Department will do everything in our power to help alleviate the position, particularly for young farmers whose livelihoods were nearly destroyed last year because of bad management.

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