Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)

The Minister's determination to oppose the proposals is well founded. Commissioner Fischler's draft proposals have not changed to any great extent. Since then not only our Government but a number of other member states have lobbied the Commissioner, presenting strong cases for change. Examining the final proposals, however, it is obvious that many of the draft proposals have not been taken into account. The devil in the detail will only be worked out by virtue of the negotiating skills of our Ministers.

The idea that we should simply introduce decoupling, a major concern for all of us, is ludicrous. By basing the single payment to farmers on the 2000-02 level, many farmers will find themselves in very difficult circumstances, particularly those in transition farming. I spoke to some farmers from County Clare today who were concerned that, having changed from dairy farming to suckler cow production, they are between enterprises, without having reached the required production levels in the new area. The detail has not yet been thrashed out and consideration must be given to the plight of farmers in transition from one area to another.

Independent reports suggest that the national beef herd will drop by some 30% if these proposals come into operation, particularly if decoupling is put in place. I believe the Commissioner's argument is that this shortfall in output will, in some way, be offset by a price increase associated with an increase in demand.

My concern is not only with the juggling of prices and the implications of the WTO talks. There are concerns in that regard tonight, with the chairman of the modalities committee of the WTO, Mr. Harbison, throwing a spanner in the works and being at odds with many EU member states. My concern is on a wider basis in relation to the whole production sector, in which there are very many jobs involved. No doubt, Senator O'Toole will have a view in relation to the trade union dimension and the number of jobs involved. We must be very careful that, in trying to assist farmers as we all wish to do, we do not throw the baby out with the bath water, as it were. We must also be concerned about the many people working in the agricultural processing sector.

Unfortunately, in the time available, I cannot deal with other issues I would like to cover. I wish the Minister of State and his colleagues well in the EU negotiations at this difficult time. I support the motion.