Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My difficulty is that the Minister of State refers to significant increases in funding, and such language, yet she keeps reverting to the pathetic target of 7.5% over the course of the next CAP. There is one magic ingredient that will ensure a substantial over-subscription by farmers to the organic farm scheme, that is, the removal of the anomaly that prevents those on the organic farm scheme from also participating in agri-environmental schemes. With a bit of imagination and flexibility on the part of the Department and the EU, that can be resolved. Will the Minister of State ensure farmers can participate in both the organic farm scheme and the agri-environmental scheme? Both schemes would benefit from a show of flexibility.

See this speech in context