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

Surely this issue relates to flexibility and opportunity. The opportunity exists to create the flexibility to allow more farmers to enter it. Most farmers from all walks of life will accept that the problem is that we do not have a national reserve. The mechanism to get one, where if a farmer sells his or her entitlements a certain amount is clawed back, means no one is selling them. Instead, they are all going into the rental scheme and are being rented out. That is a problem. The leasing system is not working. The Minister needs to review this situation and come up with a way of ensuring that we can establish a national reserve so that young and new farmers and returned emigrants, etc., are afforded an opportunity. All we are asking for is that that opportunity would be provided. If the current cap on the level of payments people can receive was lowered to, say, €100,000, which would be more than enough for anyone to survive on, it would create an opportunity to put money into the provision of a national reserve for our young farmers.

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