Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to move away from the script any day, and tell the Minister that, as a farmer, and without being flippant or smart, he should make sure that the farmers are paid and not blame computers. I can move away from the script any day. The Minister is reading out figures and quoting international best practice and telling us how highly we rank. That is little good to the farmers of north Cork who the Minister represents, to those in Tipperary who I represent, or to Deputy McConalogue's constituents in Donegal. The Minister knows that better than I do. Around 1,000 farmers came up here last year and protested. They wanted to be at home tending to their crops and their animals and not up here protesting. They are coming again tomorrow, not for fun, and at their own expense. The Minister should not be so glib. He read out his script well. He should face up to the fact that farmers are not being paid but are being blamed. The Minister in his lecture asked Members to use their offices to tell the advisers and the farmers about this. It is too bureaucratic, and any little mistake is punished. Where is the yellow card promised in the programme for Government? The farmers are getting an immediate red card. The Department is holding on to the money and penalising the farmers, and the Minister has a smile on his face about scripts. Look after the farmers. They do not want scripts or fancy announcements. They want their pay so they can pay their suppliers.

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