Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Department will not allow animals to starve and will not allow the system to collapse. However, I must adopt a targeted approach to how I spend money to ensure the Department gets full value for money for such expenditure. I cannot simply open a hugely generous scheme that gives out money to those farmers who apply for it, because I would be obliged to take that money from farmers' budgets somewhere else and I do not wish to do this unless I must. Nevertheless if I must, I will. I look forward to Members' comments and questions and will try to respond to them at the end of the debate.