Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I accept what the Minister is saying in terms of grant aid being available going forward but they have a cashflow crisis at the moment. In order for them to survive and to be in a position to benefit from the scheme that the Minister is planning to introduce in 2018, they need immediate help. At a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine a number of weeks ago we discussed the situation of potato growers in Donegal following flash flooding there. Again, the number of growers involved is not huge but if they do not get some help now, they will not be around to avail of any grant aid in the future.

The Minister has great plans for the sector and it is a sector with huge potential. However, if we do not step in to help them with their immediate cashflow and income problems, they will not be able to avail of any schemes going forward. They are very significant employers in rural areas where employment opportunities are very scarce. While the plans for the future of the sector are fine, unless we put emergency funding in place, they will not be around to avail of any grant aid.

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