Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Common Agricultural Policy was introduced to provide economic security for the farming population. To be honest, it looked after the huge farmers and made them bigger but failed miserably to help farmers on low incomes. Year in, year out, different CAPs came and went. Farmers who had substantial ground, much of it rough hill and heather, were left on small payments while the large farmers continued to receive huge amounts in CAP payments to add to what they had already.

To add insult to injury, the Department of Agriculture, a number of years ago, sent out massive fines to farmers who had heather on their grounds until a case, which is still ongoing, was taken. The delay in CAP decision-making means it will be at least one year before the new CAP comes in. That is really unfortunate as we need new schemes in which ordinary farmers can participate.

What has changed? The Minister's Government is going to run a pilot scheme in this country, the results based environment-agri pilot project, REAP, originally called the rural environment protection scheme, REPS, from which farmers will get a measly €4,700. This is after Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael promised a REPS-style scheme to farmers in the last election of more than €10,000. Just in case hill farmers or farmers in rural Ireland might be able to apply for this grant, the Government is making sure that farmers who have heather in their ground will be exempt. Where is the Green Party now? Has there been a nod-and-wink deal done on this scheme, like the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill, to get it across the line? This is nothing short of a scandal.

The very same Deputies, many of them Fianna Fáil, who were in the House yesterday criticising our massive concerns on the climate action Bill are now screaming foul in their constituencies about the REAP scheme. In the name of God, who do they think they are codding? They are in government and they support it in bringing this new anti-small farmer scheme forward, knowing full well it will penalise the small farmer. They think they can hoodwink their constituents by giving out and saying the scheme is not good enough. I know the scheme is not good enough so these Fianna Fáil Deputies and Fine Gael politicians should stop supporting the massive, wealthy farmer and look after the farmers I represent in Cork South-West.

It is not good enough that fishing has been driven to the edge. Is the ordinary farmer in Cork South-West next? The Minister should not just take on board my views on the disastrous REAP scheme. I have been riddled with calls from the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, ICMSA, and farmers to demand change to this scandalous scheme, which I ask the Minister to make immediately.

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