Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I know it is late at night. However, I am looking at my documents here and listening to her reading her documents and I make out that we are in two different worlds altogether and talking about two different things. The sheep farmers were expecting €13 and they are getting €11.50. The beef and calf farmers were expecting €75 and they are getting €67. The Minister of State has a different story altogether and she is talking about different times and different things, but the fact of the matter is that these schemes are cut by almost €6 million. Where the €6 million is gone I do not know. Sheep farmers are furious.

12 o’clock

The ISCA Ireland is saying that payment rate for 2025 is being cut from €75 per calf to €67 per calf. One of is right and one of us is wrong. I cannot believe that so many farmers would be wrong in highlighting this to me. There is some discrepancy. The Minister of State might be going back further to when they were only getting €8 but they got €13 last year. We were hoping that would increase this year. Instead, when the budget came, we were told that we should be glad it was not reduced but it did not go up either. We were disappointed but we are more disappointed now. I went back and told the farmers in Kerry that there was no cut to the scheme but they are telling me now that there is. It is in Agrilandand every paper in Kerry. That is why I am here raising this.

We have to say to this Government, and I have been saying it every day, that we have to be careful of young farmers because they are seeing this thing of a work-life balance. They see their friends in Killarney, Kenmare or wherever for the weekend. They can go where they like but if you are a farmer's son or daughter, you must traverse the hills, glens and valleys to mind the sheep and feed them or else they will not produce lambs. It is not easy to fool anyone but do not try to fool the farmers because this is what has happened here, and I am in the middle of it. I went home with the message that the payments would not be cut but now I have been told they have been cut. The Minister of State is reading some different stories from the year before or whatever. I am not blaming her one bit in the world. I know she will take my story to the senior Minister. This is a serious issue and the farmers will have to be looked after.

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