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

The sheep sector may as well be shouting into the abyss as aid requests are ignored.

That is the problem here. There is a resilient and determined momentum towards growth within the Irish sheep sector but this cannot be translated into a sustainable or viable economic model for the future in the absence of direct, targeted supports. I met with Mr. Dermot Kelleher, chairman of the ICSA, over the weekend and I met with IFA members on Monday in my house on this issue, or rather, this crisis. To date, despite the aforementioned presenting figures to the Minister and the Government, the Department is operating at a snail's pace in terms of helping sheep farmers through this crisis. The strong sense I am getting from sheep farmers is that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department have been engaged in a prolonged, disingenuous exercise during the entire debacle. They are seeking to create the impression that a lot is being done to assist sheep farmers when the opposite is the case. The Government is also selling ACRES as if it is some kind of a financial package to address the challenges facing the sheep sector which is an infuriating message for farmers to hear. There is an abundance of data supporting the call for direct, targeted interventions, especially around offering €30 per ewe, for example, but that is being sidestepped and constantly ignored. Now that the margins of some farmers are down to €7 per ewe, the case is unanswered and yet the Government refuses to give an inch. This approach must change if the sheep sector is to survive and thrive.

The Minister, who has left the Chamber again, must listen to those who have been warning him about this crisis. If he does not do so, the income crisis currently plaguing the sector will deepen and he will have no one to blame but himself for such an appalling lack of action. I listened to Deputy Feighan earlier as he spoke about trees. I am really worried when I hear Government Deputies talking about agriculture because anything they have put their hands to recently, when it comes to rural Ireland and agriculture, is being ruined. They are absolutely ruining it. Regarding forestry, good God almighty, the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, is away with the birds. She is not really concentrating on the job she should be doing. The same applies to the other Green Party Deputy who was talking about Mozart and heritage; he was not talking about sheep farming. It is a scandalous situation that we find ourselves in.

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