Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----unprecedented and difficult time. I want to see the tillage sector grow in this country over the years ahead. For the first time in the past two years, we have seen a 6% growth in the area under tillage. The really challenging situation this year is going to put real pressure on that. That is something I want to support the sector with over the next period. As I said, a few weeks ago we added an extra €7 million. There is €7 million on top of that from the European Commission, which will be paid in January. That gives us €14 million. There is also the other €7 million that was secured in the budget two weeks ago, which brings us to €21 million in support for the sector. I am working closely with the representative groups to see how we can best target that. While it has been a difficult year for everyone, it has been an existentially challenging year for some tillage farmers. I want to work with their representatives to make sure we target the funding we have made available at Government level in a way that provides the support to those who most need it.

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