Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister said early 2017. We will hold the Minister to the early January 2017 date. It is much too late, however, because action is needed now. There is a real crisis in incomes across the farming sector and the support is not there for it as we speak. The Minister has also failed to provide detail today on the exact criteria to be met in order to apply for these loans. Will people be able to refinance existing loans? Will it specifically target merchant credit, which is due now, not next January? How are those farmers going to fare? Many tillage farmers were not able to salvage their crops or harvested crops which were not worth salvaging. When I brought this up with the Minister a few weeks ago seeking a specific fund, he said he would revisit the question once the harvest was in.

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