Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----who do not have the capacity to make the required changes in their stocking levels etc. If the Minister is obliged to make cuts this year, he should ensure that they will be applied in a fair manner across the board. Teagasc has indicated that farm incomes have taken a huge hit this year as a result of bad weather and increasing costs. I was listening to the radio as I travelled to Dublin yesterday and I am aware that many people were wondering why farmers were protesting in the city. Some individuals asked "How dare they come to Dublin?" They were very welcome to come here because they are in a very serious situation as a result of issues beyond their control It is correct that we are talking up the industry. However, our doing so leads people who are not involved in the industry to assume that everything is fine and that all farmers are doing well. The reality is that many of them are struggling as a result of matters beyond their control.

I suspect that we will be obliged to return to this matter. We look forward to discussing it with the Minister at various meetings. Perhaps he will explain to us the rationale behind the proposal highlighted in last week's edition of the Irish Farmers' Journal. We also look forward to discovering the kind of timeline he envisages in respect of this matter, although I accept that much of what is going to happen will be out of his control. I do not support the notion that he will be able to conclude a deal when he chairs the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers next year. Expecting him to do so would be to place unfair pressure on him. However, the reality is that the negotiations in which he is currently involved in respect of the CAP are as important as those in which the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, is involved with regard to our banking debt. The CAP is extremely important and not just to agriculture. It is a shame there are so few Deputies present in the Chamber because this debate is as important to the growth and future of our economy as anything we might do with regard to banking or any of the other matters which we discuss and for which the Chamber tends to be full. If the Minister gets it wrong, he might as well put a torch to Food Harvest 2020. The latter will not be able to deliver on its potential in the manner in which it has to date if the deal on the CAP goes wrong. Given that the deal on CAP will be agreed on the Minister's watch, he will be judged on the basis of what is achieved.

The Minister and Minister of State have done a great deal of work in the area of farm safety. When the protest was taking place outside the Houses yesterday, another farm death occurred. I send my sympathies to the family of the person involved. Of course, we all remember the high-profile deaths of three members of the Spence family on the other part of the island. People involved in farming cannot take their safety for granted when working on their properties. Both of the Ministers commented on this matter during the summer period. On any occasion when we, as public representatives, speak about this matter to an audience comprising those involved in agriculture, we must drive home the message with regard to farm safety.

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