Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The point is that they are being asked to do a fraction of what they were previously asked to do. I agree that this was a great scheme. It improved the quality of suckler beef in Ireland and brought about significant changes in areas like animal husbandry, data collection and the general performance of those animals. While I would have put a new scheme in place anyway, I would have liked to have had more money to spend on building up the suckler cow welfare scheme. I hope we will be able to spend more money in this area in the future. When the new Common Agricultural Policy is in place, I hope we will be able to fund a larger scheme than the one to be implemented next year. It is important to understand that all of the €25 million being spent in this sector will go to farmers. It may go to different farmers next year. It is important to recognise that contrary to what some farmers have claimed, there will be no dramatic reduction in the money going into this sector, all of which will go to farmers as I have said.

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