Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State referred to the Teagasc farm survey. As it shows, farming is a very difficult career. It is difficult for farmers across the various sectors to make a living and to keep a family. We see that almost 40% of farms have an average income of less than €10,000. On sheep and cattle-rearing farms, the net income is the single farm payment from Europe, and incomes were down for dairy and tillage over the past year as well. We find that there is increased volatility in respect of farm incomes and product prices, in particular. It should be Government policy and EU policy to try to ensure the agriculture sector across Europe and, in particular in our country, is underpinned by farmers getting a fair price for quality produce. Farmers are producing quality produce to the highest standards but the price is not there. Could the Minister of State say what initiatives he and the Minister have taken to ensure we can grow agriculture based on farmers being properly paid for what they produce?

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