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

I welcome this debate on our most important indigenous industry. I also welcome the level of money coming in under the CAP budget between 2014 and 2020 - €8.5 billion under Pillar 1, €2.2 billion for rural development and €1.9 billion from the Government.

This time next year we may be discussing issues in regard to challenges in the dairy sector but there great opportunities in that sector post-quota. The expansion by the major dairy companies in certain parts of the country was alluded to by the previous speakers. Not every part of the country will be able to develop a dairy sector, including marginal areas in the west of Ireland, but I hope that this time next year, we will not be discussing the plight of the smaller dairy farmers. However, there are certainly great opportunities in that sector.

As the Minister said, there is concern in the beef sector. I welcome what has been done in developing new markets, the increased funding for Bord Bia and marketing the great product we have. As the Minister stated, numbers in the suckler sector have stabilised. I know there has been some concern that post-dairy quota there would be a shift. Dairy numbers will increase at the expense of suckler numbers. There is no evidence of that yet and, hopefully, next year we will continue to see a strong beef suckler cow sector. The beef suckler cow is very important on the marginal lands, in particular in the west of Ireland. They are great a converting marginal quality forage into milk. That is the beauty of that animal. Those areas are constrained by land type and the protected status of land. Therefore, it is important we continue to have a strong direct payment system for those suckler farmers in the west.

I welcome the funding for the beef genomic scheme and the commitment under the RDP in regard to the disadvantaged area scheme, or the area of natural constraints scheme, the single payment scheme and GLAS. The beef genomic scheme is very important. The €80 is hugely important to maintain the beef sector. I hope it will be maintained in this year's budget, if not increased to some degree.

Last Friday we debated the issues surrounding GLAS. Again, it is very important we have had a continuation of the agri-environmental schemes from REPS to AEOS I, AEOS II and AEOS III and latterly to GLAS. This money is very important to farmers in those areas along the west coast and in other more marginal areas, many of whom are constrained by the land they have. Where there is designation, they are not able to reclaim the land, plant or invest in wind turbines, for example. There are ongoing concerns in regard to that scheme. I will provide the Minister with a possible solution to that impasse later and ask him to pursue it, if possible.

See this speech in context