Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

They can. I have filled out more appeal forms in this regard than the Minister has and I have seen the difficulties these farmers encounter as they come from a particularly disadvantaged area of the country. They are just as important to the entire ecosystem that is the farming community as are large producers in other areas of the country who are fortunate enough to have quality land. We must treat individuals with equality. What we do not want in the rush to fulfil Harvest 2020, which was an initiative of the previous Government, is to create a national divide and only have the best land farmed. We should not allow parts of our rural landscape to go fallow, wild and unused because that will impact on one of the other primary elements of the economy, tourism. We must get the right mix and balance. I agree it is important to support the large-scale producers, who have a significant impact on the economy, but we cannot do that at the cost of those farmers who followed proposals at the time and got into REPS and AEOS schemes on the basis of being custodians and protectors of the rural community, in addition to being primary producers.

Another significant element of our motion concerns costs relating to farming. The increased price of diesel is having a huge impact, not just on domestic motorists, but on farming contractors and hauliers hauling produce. The previous speaker identified the fact that approximately 90% of all agricultural produce must be exported. In order to do that and to ensure that prices for farmers remain competitive, we must deal -----

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