Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Until now the CAP has disproportionately benefited large farmers. There has been a strong emphasis on upping production, and that is fine and dandy but it is recognised now that we have to add value and keep a little bit of money in local communities. Farmers’ costs have gone up and that is leaving their areas. The LEADER programme is key to making some of those improvements. Would the Minister of State consider developing and improving farmers’ markets? We are lobbying the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to reintroduce the organic scheme. There are also problems and opportunities in the areas of small-scale energy production. Both the Minister and the Minister of State, coming from the west, will be familiar with the large disadvantaged areas, no different from parts of the midlands, where we could generate extra incomes in terms of energy, farmers' markets and diversification. We need to recalibrate things in that direction with the new CAP. We also need to put a cap on the maximum payment because that has disproportionately benefited large farmers.

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