Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House and commend him on his work to date. He will undoubtedly leave a legacy, but we will not give him a legacy just yet.

I represent Limerick and Clare farmers. The greatest issue is that of sterling. Senator Lombard touched on the expansion in quotas and so forth. Now on top of this is uncertainty over sterling. The euro could shortly have parity with sterling. It is more of a probability than a possibility. One could say that it is even more of a certainty than a probability. We must determine ways to counteract it.

I welcome the low-interest rate agri loan, but when does the Minister expect it to be put in place? It has been sent to the Commission but farmers are already asking when it will come into play and how it will work practically. I assume that they will go to their local banks. What is the appraisal process?Is it done through the bank? Will an independent body oversee the loans? What will be the mechanism? I very much welcome the measure.

I welcome also the engagement the Minister has had with his counterparts in the North both at departmental and ministerial level. In terms of Brexit, an all-Ireland focus is extremely important.

I refer to an issue that is slightly outside this area but one in which I have a personal interest, and it applies regardless of Brexit. Farmers have studied in great depth the breakdown of farm prices from the farm gate to retailers, taking into account the producers, wholesaler-retailers and end-customers, because it is impacting on them directly. The issue arises with the multiples. In many cases the price they can pay back to the farmer is determined by the price they are getting from the co-operatives. Will the Minister consider doing empirical work, both at national and European level, to come up with a mechanism to ensure the farmer gets a fair price because in the rural villages I represent in east Limerick, farming is vital? It continues to grow and prosper to keep businesses open and to keep people living in rural Ireland.