Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This week I visited Bandon mart and Skibbereen mart in my constituency. Meeting farmers, it is blatantly clear that they are fed up. They are mainly fed up of overregulation and they are fed up of red tape. They are tired of endless paperwork; new regulations being brought in on a weekly basis; the hoops they have to jump through to qualify for the different schemes; and the endless hours of filling forms to qualify for grants under the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS, or environmental schemes. They are tired of the penalties they get if an “i” is not dotted or a “t” is not crossed and they are absolutely fed up of the changing goalposts we see happening month on month.

One farmer put it absolutely perfectly when he told me there is no joy in farming anymore. If there is no joy in farming, I do not understand how we are supposed to encourage or incentivise the next generation of farmer to come up and take on this incredibly important industry. This sector is the backbone of rural Ireland.

I ask that we please lose the paperwork before we lose the farmers. We have seen a mass exodus in the fishing sector, which is incredibly sad. We do not want to see this happening in the farming sector. I am hearing that it will happen because farmers are tired, they are tired of the paperwork and some are looking to get out. We need to stop that. I understand many of these regulations and directives are coming from the EU. However, we as a Government need to do our bit to ease those regulations and the burden on farmers.

I will give a few examples, especially of the goalposts changing. We all know about the VAT rebate and how certain items farmers were able to claim that rebate on are no longer applicable. That has been well covered. I will give an example of the dairy beef calf premium – the €20 per calf payment. I talked to a farmer who bought a stock bull in 2021. In 2022, there was no mention of this 3-star rating that a bull needed. In 2023, when the cow was bulled, again, there was no mention of the requirement for a 3-star rating on the bull. However, as soon as the calf was born, this requirement for a 3-star rating came in and that farmer therefore did not qualify for the premium It is a perfect example of the goalposts changing.

Then there is the suckler scheme. Apparently it was a requirement that a farmer would join Bord Bia to qualify for the suckler scheme. Reams of paperwork were filled out. However, it transpired a few weeks later that in fact there was not a requirement to join Bord Bia.

Again, that is a perfect example of the goal posts changing. It is clear to me from meeting farmers that it is simple. Just let them do what they are good at, and that is farming. They have been hit by derogation and the reduction in stocking rates. I alluded to the VAT issue earlier. We need to do our best to help farmers. They are dealing with inspection after inspection and reams of paperwork. We need to make it easier so that farmers can get on with doing what they are good at.

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