John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

We must protect this money in rural areas, but I am not satisfied the Government is doing enough in that regard.

As I said, approximately 20% of jobs outside Dublin are in the agriculture sector, yet agriculture accounts for less than 1% of the overall Government budget. Two years ago, when we had two or three budgets in one year, the agriculture budget was slashed through the suspension of the early retirement scheme and so forth. Agriculture has taken a disproportionately hard hit in the past few years. If the Minister is serious about Food Harvest 2020 and the good policies it contains, it cannot happen for free. However, any investment the Government makes will be more than returned in the rural community and throughout the island. I realise there will be cuts in agriculture when the Government is considering savings, but many of them can come through cuts in administration. The Government should protect, as much as possible, the incomes of farmers which have suffered in the past few years and ensure Food Harvest 2020 becomes a reality.