Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Doyle. A number of young farmers spoke to me recently about the farm relief scheme. While it is positive and farmers are members of it, at present young farmers are finding it hard to get relief workers. People are not applying for the vacancies as they arise. A young farmer, who was going to a wedding one weekend, had to bring back somebody who was much older than he was to milk the cows and carry out different work on the farm. While I realise there are qualified persons who are registered with the farm relief scheme, there is a shortage of applicants for the vacancies.

It is a big issue for farmers, especially for the future. They have to reach their 2020 targets but they are concerned that with the shortage of people, between people not applying and people not responding, there will be a problem in reaching their targets. What is the Minister of State's opinions on it? Can incentives be put in place to encourage people to get involved in farming? After all, one's first reaction is to go back to one's roots. Many people came from farming backgrounds before they went into other walks of life. Addressing this issue is crucial.