Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I support what Senator John Paul Phelan has said. Given his background, the Cathaoirleach will know that five or six years ago quite a number of people in the north Cork and west Limerick area invested heavily in deer farming, seeing it as an opportunity to stabilise their farming incomes and involve family members in the enterprise. Unfortunately most of them eventually suffered financial losses and departed from the enterprise. A significant number of people in the Border counties, in particular Cavan and Monaghan, also invested in deer farming. There too, matters did not work out tremendously well.

I take on board what the Senator said. We should try to encourage deer farming as a form of alternative farming enterprise from the health perspective of venison as a food and from the point of view of the surplus of other foodstuffs in the European Union. If a significant minority of farmers got involved in enterprises such as deer farming it could become a valuable way of life and a valuable economic contributor to rural Ireland.

To date, the industry has been unplanned and unregulated and has lacked the leadership which was required. At the time that people in the north Cork area became involved in deer farming the Agriculture Commissioner, Mr. Ray MacSharry, took an interest in the industry, as did the former Taoiseach, Mr. Haughey. Unfortunately it did not get off the ground and many people lost money. However, that is no reason not to re-examine the issue.

Senator Phelan has made a positive suggestion and there is an onus on us, from an agricultural perspective, to try to encourage as many people as possible to invest in alternative enterprises. The numbers of people flocking from the land and from full-time farming is alarming. We need to put in place new solutions, be it deer farming or rabbit farming. They are not the answer to everybody's problems, but all of the alternatives have their place in the spectrum and we should encourage them wherever possible.