Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will appreciate, I cannot give that commitment tonight, as much as I might want to do so. I will take his very clear request back to the Minister for Finance and the Department. This issue has been flagged in the engagements that have been taking place with the agricultural community over the past few weeks. The Deputy has proposed a clear target of bringing the price below €1.20. I certainly understand the pressure farmers and contractors are under, as does the Minister. Like many others in various sectors, it is very hard to make ends meet and make business pay. Even though farmers can receive a decent price for their product, the input costs have increased dramatically for everybody in farming, as they have in other sectors.

This issue has been well flagged and identified by the Government. There has been a response, as I outlined, to try to take some off the pressure off, not just in regard to fuel costs but in different ways as well. The whole area is being kept under review by the Government. All the Departments have been feeding into the budget process over recent weeks and will continue to do so through June and July, focusing on how best we can respond to this issue and the pressures it is putting on the sector. The farming sector is very important, as the Deputy noted, because of the need for food security and the food shortages we will see coming out of what is happening in Ukraine. The matter certainly will get attention from the Minister and I will be sure to convey the points the Deputy has raised. I will make sure the Minister hears them first-hand.

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