Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The purpose of today's motion, and the huge protest outside, is to call on the Minister to take action. If he looks up, he will see the Gallery is full so this is not just a Fianna Fáil issue - it is a national movement asking the Minister to take action to help farmers who are seriously in need because of the bad weather last year. These farmers did everything within their power to mitigate their losses. They tried to salvage everything they could and now they are coming to the Minister because it is the last resort. There are precedents for this so the idea that it would be opening a can of worms, and might go further than it should, will not wash. The precedent allows the Minister to take action now.

Yesterday, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, managed to find €120 million in extra spending capacity for this year that had not been there originally but these farmers are looking for €4 million. One wonders whether the Minister could not find another couch to dip his hand behind for an extra €4 million for people who need it. There are additional moneys because there has been an underspend and the Minister himself made a similar plea a number of years ago when there was crop damage due to bad weather.

The Minister says farmers in this Gallery and across the country should go and ask for credit and that this would be a solution to the problem but it would not. These farmers are already struggling to make ends meet with low prices and very tight margins. As the Minister accepts the huge support for this motion across the House, and for the idea that the State should step in and help farmers in need, I ask him to do the right thing. It is within his gift and his choice. If he chooses not to do it, on his head be it.

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