Joe Walsh (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)

Not a single euro available from Brussels will be left. This applies to all schemes, including REPS, the early retirement scheme and the young farmer installation aid scheme. Last week, a Deputy stated in the other House that the young farmer installation aid scheme had been reduced by 75%. This is untrue as more money is available under all the on-farm investment schemes this year than in the previous year and more money is available for the REP scheme this year than was spent on it last year.

Some €2.8 billion was expended last year in support of agriculture and the same amount will be spent this year. There are a number of subheadings related to research and other areas where some cutbacks were required, which is regrettable. However, scare-mongering, allusions to bankruptcy and younger farmers having low morale—