Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

Most farming families would find it very difficult to accept the figure provided by the Minister of State based on the work of the Department which claims the cost per farm will be approximately €230. For tillage farmers and the thousands of contractors, the additional burden will run to thousands of euro, not hundreds.

Even at this late stage, with a view to job creation and maintaining the competitiveness of the economy, including the farming sector, the Minister of State should consider calling on his Government colleagues to reflect and adopt the French wait-and-see approach. I respect his statement that he will monitor the implementation of the tax but on 1 May the additional financial burden on farming families will be very significant. I ask him to make my concerns known to the Ministers for Finance and the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. These concerns are shared by every farmer, contractor and rural organisation. At a time when rural Ireland is under severe pressure, this tax could be a tipping point as far as many families are concerned.