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

First, we have put a €25 million income support package in place. Second, I think the Deputy is underestimating dairy farmers. With respect, most of them understand how the market works. They understand price volatility. They understand that there will be good and bad years as does the banking system and co-operatives who help to finance them. I have had meetings with all the CEOs of top banks in Ireland and they have made it clear to me that they see their role as helping dairy farmers who have high debt. Most dairy farmers do not have high debt but some of them do. They see it as their role to help those dairy farmers get through what they see as a temporary pricing problem. In the medium term, everybody is still optimistic and confident around where the Irish dairy industry is going. We have had a difficult year last year from a volatility point of view, which is continuing into this year. The predictions are that in the second half of this year there will be an improvement in price and dairy factors have to factor that in, in terms of how they manage their businesses. Banks that are financing the expansion in some of these businesses also have to factor that in and I believe they will. There are multiple support programmes in place for dairy farmers whether it is TAMS, basic payments, GLAS or any of the other schemes they are availing of. The extent of the interest in dairy farmers is evident in the facts.

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