Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour) | Oireachtas source

And more, and it bedevils this important sector. I keep warning my own brother about the suckler cow. For the last ten years, I have been warning him to be careful but the reason most farmers continue is that they have an inherent love for what they do in an open-air setting and he is as happy as Larry. For beef farmers, €4,791 was the average income in 2018, and 125% of their farm income is made up of the single farm payment. The average single farm payment in the country is about €13,000-odd. Of course, too many lords and ladies are getting this subsidy, including one of the major beef processors, which is seeking injunctions against people. It is one of the biggest recipients of this. It goes back again to my time as a young man, green behind the ears. I objected to that. I am on the record many years ago saying there should be no place for subsidies for corporate farmers or anything of that nature. They should get nothing. I was proposing capping it 20 years ago and people said, "Oh, sure, that fella comes from the Labour Party and they are communists." That included some farmers and farm organisations, and it was farm organisations that did not have the guts to come along and say what they thought. Why should farmers from the west of Ireland get about €5,000 or €4,000 in subsidies, if they are lucky, and some very rich well-to-dos with 250 or 1,000 acres get €105,000, €110,000 or €120,000? It does not make sense.

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