Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am aware of this issue in my constituency and that it is a national issue. The question of the definition of "genuine farmers" and "active farmers" always crops up. I wish to reassure farmers who lack the capacity to generate a sufficient income from their holdings. We have recently seen the publication of figures for farm incomes which point to two Irelands. I refer, in particular, to the figures for the livestock and sheep sectors that are really challenged in terms of their lack of capacity. Like any of my predecessors and I assume any sane occupant of this office in the future, I will be motivated only by the best of intentions when it comes to dealing with that reality. I aim to ensure those farmers who are as genuine as any other farmer and as active as any other farmer, given the constraints on their holdings, will continue to be the focus of supports under the Common Agricultural Policy. They may not be able to generate a high income owing to those constraints, but they perform a host of other valuable services in the protection of the environment. They are really important players. They are both active and genuine. The fact that owing to economic necessity they may have to have an off-farm income does not in any way put them beyond supports under the Common Agricultural Policy, nor should it in the future.

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