Jim D'Arcy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----if he attended. His presence would provide a great boost to those farmers whose livelihoods were decimated early in the millennium and who are now getting their confidence back and developing both the breed and the brand.

There is a need for a national agri-environmental scheme - this is a matter to which the Minister referred - with a specific element relating to mountain regions. The latter would provide higher payments to the farmers who operate in such areas, most of which are designated as special areas of conservation, and who are obliged to engage in a particular type of farming as a result.

We must also look forward to the next version of the CAP in the context of food security and achieving better market prices for farmers without increasing the cost to consumers. The Minister will be obliged to deal with this major job of work in the coming years.