Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As with the single farm payment, the Minister is facilitating people with designations in the first priority category, which I understand. The second tier includes intensive and arable farmers. If we do not ensure the smaller farmer with up to 70 or 80 acres is included in tier 2, they will be pushed out. Some of these farmers came out pretty badly from the single farm payment system. Listening to farmers around the country, some feel that an intensive, arable or big farmer can get into this scheme but others are caught in a trap because they are not a priority. The Minister might refer to trailing shoe equipment but there are parts of the country down our way where such equipment could not be used. The farms are so small that seeds for wild bird cover would not be sown. We must try to facilitate those people caught in this way.

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