Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

He cannot take criticism, does not listen and has no wish to debate.

I keep hearing about the €12 billion the Minister secured. This was the first time ever that the CAP budget was down. Let us put the €12 billion into perspective. The Government will spend €12 billion in seven months on social welfare. The Minister has got €12 billion but not for seven years because, as I found out yesterday, there is a sneaky clause termed N+3.

As such, that money does not need to be spent until after eight years have passed. This effectively decreases the budget per annum.

This year between 5,000 and 10,000 farmers have seen cuts of up to 10% in their single farm payments. They are beginning to see that the money promised is melting away. For the past two years I have been saying the greatest issue in agriculture, particularly in productive counties such as Wexford, is getting a good price in the market, be it for liquid milk, beef, vegetables or anything else.

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