Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Several Members of the House have commented on the Common Agricultural Policy reform proposals in recent days. It is vital for this House to be kept fully informed about the deal that has been agreed in Brussels. The detail of that deal has yet to be unfolded. The president of the IFA, John Bryan, will be greeted by a protest in my home town of Drumshanbo tonight. It is unfortunate that the farming lobby seems to be split down the middle on this issue. Small and medium-sized farmers, of whom there are many in my part of the country, are heavily critical of the IFA because they perceive that it is looking after the interests of the big ranch farmers. The decision by IFA members from several counties in the north west to hold tonight's protest is an indication of how big the split is. While I have the greatest respect and admiration for John Bryan, I believe he has serious questions to answer about the perceived direction his IFA colleagues have taken in supporting the retention of higher payments for a small number of farmers whom they deem to be more productive than those they refer to as "inactive" farmers. The definitions of both categories have not been clarified.

I come from a part of the country where farmers live on marginal land. Some 98% of the land in County Leitrim is marginal. The same thing applies in parts of west Cavan, north Roscommon and Sligo. The payments received by the vast majority of small and medium-sized farmers are the lifeblood of the nation. It is not just a question of giving subsidies to farmers. Consumers should be aware that the single farm payment system is a subsidy that is keeping farm prices down in the food sector. That is another issue altogether. This payment is vitally important in the interests of small and medium-sized farmers across the country. There are small farmers in County Kilkenny and in the Golden Vale who receive little more than ¤10,000 a year and are being put to the pin of their collars to keep their families and their farms viable.

I will conclude by reminding the House that small and medium-sized farmers have comprised the backbone of the Irish economy for generations. The money they receive from Europe trickles down into local economies and sustains many towns and villages across the country. It is vitally important for the Minister, Deputy Coveney, to keep the House fully informed of exactly what the Government means when it says this agreement gives it flexibility in deciding how to redistribute these moneys.