Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I add my voice to the voices of those who spoke about what happened in Brussels this morning. As the Minister stated, it is alarming that the death toll has risen greatly.

To return to the issue of the EU agriculture Ministers meeting, to tell the truth, that seems a long way off from the place I come from, namely, the west, and especially the constituency of Sligo-Leitrim. Many farmers and non-farming rural dwellers are not seeing any recovery and believe they are being forgotten not only by the EU but by Dublin. The question they ask is whether the EU is listening to them.

Many sectors of the farming community are in crisis, and even the European Commissioner, Phil Hogan, recognises that. He began to take measures last week which dairy farmers had been calling for since last summer. Perhaps it took criticism from the French and other quarters in the EU for him to take notice and take action.

Commissioner Hogan and the Minister, Deputy Coveney, have not yet taken any action in regard to the banking sector. Banks are putting serious pressure on farmers who were encouraged by the Department, Teagasc and the banks themselves to borrow and invest in dairying. These producers are now in crisis, with the price of milk showing no sign of increasing. Farmers were convinced that the ending of milk quotas was the equivalent for the dairy sector of winning the lotto, but now those same farmers are being incentivised to reduce production. The intervention price remains too low to make the sector viable in terms of making ends meet, never mind paying off the large debts many of them have incurred.

There is a great deal of dissatisfaction among farmers. They believe they have been ignored by the European Union, and it is difficult not to agree with them when they cite the rules, regulations and directives that make it very difficult to farm their land.

In my region farmers also raise the serious issue of hydraulic fracturing or fracking. They have major concerns about the devastating impact this dirty industry would have on agriculture in the area. The use of fracking is highly likely to wreak havoc on Leitrim farms due to the destructive nature of gas extraction.

Farmers in Leitrim wish to see a total ban on fracking, but the EU and the Government do not seem to be listening.

Flooding is another serious issue in the part of the world where I come from, and many farmers have been seriously impacted in recent months. I am aware of horticultural providers with tunnels on the Roscommon border which were flooded. Their livelihoods were destroyed but they do not qualify under the schemes put in place. There are many such instances throughout the country.

Another scheme which is an absolute disaster is the beef data genomics scheme which seems designed to be the least farmer-friendly scheme in existence. It has made access so difficult that many farmers are in despair and many who are part of it want out of it. Now there is talk about the sheep sector and introducing a €20 premium per ewe, which seems to be equally unfriendly to the farming sector. The suggestion to model it on the beef data genomics scheme is an example of copying failure.

There is a lot of worry in the suckler and beef sector about what may happen in the future, and the big question being asked is who is supporting the farmers. It seems as if beef processors and supermarket chains call all the shots and farmers are left with no control over anything. All cattle farmers need better prices, and this starts with the factories being pulled into line and being forced to pay proper prices for finished animals. If this were to happen, it would trickle down to the producers of these animals. In Leitrim we have five cattle markets, and many buyers come from the midlands to buy weanlings in Carrigallen and Manorhamilton. These farmers need to get a better price for their product but they will not get it if the finishers do not get a proper price at the other end.

Another issue very much related to this, particularly with regard to the rural area I represent, is cross-Border penalties. Farmers depend on buyers coming from the North and taking the cattle back across the Border, but the processors have put in place penalties so those farmers will not get the same price for the cattle. The factories are always talking about consumer demand but, in truth, the consumer is nothing but an excuse for the processors to limit prices. What the consumer wants is grass-fed Irish beef that is free from hormones and antibiotics. The consumer does not care if an animal is 36 months old or 48 months old, what weight it was when it was killed or how many movements it had. These specifications were put in place by meat processors so they can penalise farmers and make more profit. Someone needs to stand up for the farmer against this excessive profiteering. There also has to be proper transparency and fair competition in the industry. There is great concern throughout the country at the taking over of 50% of Slaney Foods by ABP. A monopoly is not good for anyone except the company operating it. This is certainly not good for the consumer, the producer at the other end or the industry as a whole.

Is the EU listening when it comes to forestry? It seems to be the super-incentivised sector at the moment, but while it may seem like an attractive prospect for some farmers, especially those with poorer quality land who are trying to be part-time farmers to make a living, what is it doing to farming in the country as a whole? Large areas are now devoid of active farming and are covered in forestry. I see this in my neighbouring parish where land has been planted which isolates communities, and before long people will not be able to see daylight in their homes.

Despite all the talk and the heralding of recovery in Ireland, the people of rural Ireland see no recovery. Austerity has devastated the west, from where our young people still emigrate. They are not returning and there is no stream of them coming back.

There was very little listening to the reasonable objections of fishermen to the way the penalty points system was being run. My colleague, Deputy Pearse Doherty, will address this. Fishermen had to go to court to get a hearing on it. Despite promises they would be listened to as stakeholders, the Minister reinstated the system without any consultation.

Farmers ask me who is looking after them. It is very hard to answer this question when several sectors are in severe difficulty, and the pigmeat, dairy and other sectors have been mentioned. The overall agenda needs to change and become focused on making the family farm a profitable enterprise. When small farmers are making money, the rural economy is vibrant because they spend all their money in the local economy. The EU and Ministers with responsibility for agriculture throughout Europe and here must recognise the vital stimulation that a profitable food production sector can offer to deprived rural communities and they must support the family farm. Last week, I met a young man in my area who farms approximately 40 acres and has 22 cows. He is rearing three children and sends them to our local national school. He told me his lament is he did not do what his brother did seven or eight years ago, which was to leave and go to the United States. This is an indictment on where small farmers and smallholdings in the west have been left. This needs to change. We need to protect the people at the bottom to ensure everyone can make a profit and have a decent income for themselves and their families and keep rural Ireland alive. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in particular, and his colleagues throughout Europe, have a role in ensuring this happens. It is the same throughout Europe. Recently I met farmers from deprived areas of Europe who also deal with smallholdings on marginal land. They have the very same issues as we do. We need to ensure farming is made profitable for smallholders because if it is then rural Ireland will become vibrant again.

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