Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We will be. I welcome the group here today from the Irish Farmers Association, with Mr. Pat O'Driscoll heading up the Kerry IFA delegation from Valentia. I thank them for making their presence known tonight because this is such an important subject.

I will not stand here and blame the Minister for the weather but he has been slow to react. It is a fact and I am sorry to have to say that to a neighbour from across the border. There are actions he must take. For example, there are people waiting for GLAS payments and it is a disgrace that they have not been paid. The Minister knows this. I compliment the people in his Department who have done much for me and the people I represent. I acknowledge that. Farmers are being treated unfairly and there is real hardship out there. The Minister has a chance to help. I was glad to hear a colleague speak the truth about the suckler herd, as not many people have done so tonight. That herd is under threat and there is a need for drastic assistance because it is not currently financially sensible to keep a cow for a year and get a calf from her. It does not pay. Unless the Minister and his Department wake up to that we will see the suckler herd under threat. The Minister knows that like everything, it is like a cog in a machine. We need the suckler men to be there for the future of farming in this country. I ask the Minister to please help as his help and that of the Department is needed.

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