Edward Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I have read most of that document and most of those 31 recommendations are very worthy.

I would like to see a lot of them being implemented.

On a slightly related matter, I worked most of my life in small and medium sized businesses. The thing that strikes me most about farming is the huge fluctuation in prices from year to year. Most businesses face increases in costs or sales prices in single digit percentage changes. It is not so in farming. This makes it difficult to plan and means people have to build up large reserves to be confident of being able to continue to trade or else they will run out of cash. We need to take measures to make it financially attractive to run a farm business. We need to reduce red tape, which is a turn-off for many farmers, and make all schemes much simpler. Many of the recommendations of the commission on generational renewal in farming will help.

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