Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Ó Cuív for putting down the motion on the very important issue of agriculture. I commend the Minister, Deputy Coveney, on the recent announcement of AEOS. For a long time, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, has been designating land along the west coast under SAC, SPA and NHA designation and has been sending out site packs stating that the compensation for this designation is under REPS and AEOS, so it is hugely important we have an AEOS scheme in that area.

I am a long-time believer that farm payments need to go to active farmers who are producing to the best of their ability on their land. With regard to Connemara, I was agreeable to the increase in the stocking rate from 0.15 to 0.3 because I knew that the vast majority of farmers in Connemara would be able to qualify for a derogation under the commonage framework plans, under the REPS restrictions and in regard to the Twelve Bens area. The majority of the land involved is blanket bog where the NPWS would put down stocking limits of 0.15 and it would not be possible to increase to the 0.3 rate, so I welcome this measure.

Deputy Ó Cuív stated earlier in the year that the Minister could have achieved his cuts of €29.5 million by targeting the larger dairy farmers and giving an exemption to the smaller milk producers. I disagree with this and note he did not classify what he meant by large and small, or what the quotas were. Under Food Harvest 2020, we are looking to increase dairy production by 50%. There are many Galway farmers in the eastern part of my constituency who are committed to dairying and who have worked hard and built up their herds, such as those farmers in Oranmore, Castlelambert, Athenry and Coldwood, and they are entitled to receive their disadvantaged area payment. Will this become official Fianna Fáil policy under Deputy Ó Cuív? How many will lose their disadvantaged area payment, as was reported in the Connacht Tribune in May? I believe these farmers are entitled to their payments.

I agree western farmers were hard done by under the last CAP. Too many of the benefits they had accrued through hard work and producing quality weanlings was taken up by farmers elsewhere in gathering up the entitlements. The suckler farmers in the west will be key in terms of producing quality beef post the removal of quotas. This is very important for them, and I agree that even partial coupling should be considered in regard to the suckler herds in the west.

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