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

-----in Kerry and elsewhere, for the work they have done. We have come through a very difficult period in agriculture. The past six months has been very challenging for farmers. It has been a very expensive winter for them. As a result, many of them are in situations of debt which was not the case for them in the past. Much of the debt has been provided by co-ops, some of it interest-free to farmers in an effort to get them over a difficult period, in particular in terms of encouraging them to buy and spread fertiliser to get grass growing. Now co-ops are trying to get back to some kind of normality. One cannot expect co-ops to provide interest-free credit to farmers indefinitely. That is not a sustainable situation. I have spent a considerable amount of time speaking to both co-ops and banks to look at ways in which we can transfer some of the debt from co-ops into the banking system, which is where it belongs, under conditions with which farmers can live. The process will be ongoing through the summer, as will be the process of preparing for next winter to ensure we do not have a repeat of the situation we had last winter.

With respect to the Deputy, I am not sure the situation has much to do with the strategic infrastructure Bill but perhaps the response is somewhat helpful.

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