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

We have not failed in Europe. If we can get agreement from the Commission on a schedule of payments over a number of years, that will make an enormous difference to cashflow demands on farmers and on co-ops. We already have an agreement in principle from the Commission that the relationship between farmers and their co-ops could be such that it would allow for a schedule of payments that would significantly ease the burden for farmers. We are currently talking to the Commission, along with other countries, about trying to do the same in terms of Ireland's obligation to the Commission over a period of time. That would be massive progress. If we had, for example, got the butterfat adjustment, which would have been very welcome, we would still have a superlevy problem, because at the moment we are 5.5% over. Butterfat would have been an adjustment of about 1.8%. We would still have had a significant problem.

It is fair for the Deputy to ask about what we are doing between now and the closing date to help farmers reduce their superlevy burden. We are doing that through Teagasc, working with farming organisations and working with farmers. The Deputy asked whether it was possible for farmer to produce milk, have it collected by their co-op and then retain ownership of it through the deadline period, until we move to an absence of quota, and then effectively count it as milk produced outside of quota. I do not think that is possible, but we are looking at all those options. Several people have asked me to explore different possibilities in that regard, and we are exploring those possibilities at the moment, but I would not like to raise people's hopes too much on that. I do not think there is any easy way-----

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