Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I listened with interest to the matter raised by Senator Power and the response of the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee. If he can bring half that commitment and enthusiasm to the matter I am raising, we will make progress too. I am asking the Minister of State to report on the Government's current thinking with regard to the future of those who have traditionally been referred to as small farmers. Perhaps that is no longer politically correct and it might be better to refer to land owners with limited land, or something like that.

Earlier this afternoon, the House debated job creation in the presence of the Minister, Deputy Bruton. We all know the scale of the economic development difficulties that are being encountered throughout the country, especially in rural Ireland. We all know that the creation of jobs in towns and rural areas is crucial for the future of this country. Agriculture has always played a significant role in job creation and there was a time when not merely thousands, but tens of thousands of people, were employed on the land. Many of those worked full time on small farmers; others worked part time. It created a significant degree of economic activity across the countryside. Obviously, since our accession to the EU the position has changed from an agriculture perspective but the most recent figures would still seem to suggest that, on the basis of there being 120,000 farmers in Ireland, almost 60% of them have less than 30 hectares of land, and there is still a significant number who do not have vast land holdings.

It is important that we do not try to create a two-speed agriculture sector and set large against small. That certainly is not the purpose of my question to the Minister. However, it is opportune, because of the negotiations at Brussels on the future development of the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, and the possible changes to agriculture support, to ensure that as far as possible we allow the maximum number of people to remain on the land.

It is obviously important that the larger commercial farmers are fully supported by Europe and the Government. Food production on this island is important, not only for Ireland but for Europe and the world. There is a growing shortage of food on the world market and there must be a significant role for the large commercial units and the large commercial farmers. We must support those people to the maximum extent possible.

Unfortunately, on the other side of the spectrum, because of bureaucracy, red tape and EU regulations, a large number of small farmers have left the land, have even stopped part-time farming and see no future for themselves or their families in farming. I hope the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, and his colleagues in Government will commit themselves to ensuring that we take whatever policy measures are required to keep the maximum number of those people farming. It is good, not only for agriculture but for rural areas from a social and community perspective. It is part of a big jigsaw. I merely ask that when the Minister of State and his colleagues make the final crucial decisions with our colleagues in Europe on the future funding of agriculture we will still see a role for those with between 40 and 80 acres of land, we will not say they have no future on the land and they are no longer deemed farmers, and we will put in place the measures and structures to keep as many of them farming as possible. That will pay for itself over and over again not only economically but socially and from a community perspective.