Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Earlier today there was a joint meeting of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Joint Committee on Rural and Community Development. A presentation was made by the European Court of Auditors. The revelations were stark in terms of what has happened to family farms in Ireland and throughout Europe. Some 1,000 farms are closing every day throughout the European Union. In Ireland in the past ten years, one in three young farmers – those under the age of 44 years – has been forced off the land. The interventions for young farmers are absolutely failing.We have an ageing farming population. With reference to the Western Development Commission, 41% or four out of ten family farms in the west have disappeared in the past 20 years. All of this is the result of intentional policies both in Ireland and at European level. In the Visitors Gallery we have Mr. Ciaran Staunton, a respected and well known campaigner on the rights of Irish immigrants in the United States. However, he is also campaigning on the rights of emigrants returning to Ireland, something we always said we wanted. Government policy repeatedly has been that we want emigrants to come home to build their futures and rear their families here. However, when the issue of encouraging returning emigrants to enter farming is raised, the barriers are huge. All of the statistics being given are official figures from the Government or Government-funded organisations. Returning emigrants need to be factored in.

We have to be honest about the ideology that has led us to this situation. The European dimension was mentioned. We have allowed the big agrifood businesses, meat factories, supermarkets and multiples to destroy the family farm model both in Ireland and elsewhere. What does this mean for places such as County Donegal, from where I come. It means that rural communities with their wee shops, post offices and businesses are being ripped apart. It also means that money that could be spent in them is just not there. The focus increasingly is on big business. We need to make sure this issue will be addressed in the current debate on CAP reform. For too long we have not had a fair distribution of CAP moneys. It is obscene to see corporations and huge farmers receiving the level of funding that they are, while small farmers, particularly those in the west, are being squeezed to the bone. This issue has to be addressed.

Another issue in the context of CAP reform is the inspections and bureaucracy farmers face. We now have a charter of rights. However, it will mean nothing if farmers have to wait long periods for their payments. It has to be accepted that in recent times, in the context of farmers getting all of the documentation required into the Department, its IT systems have been a huge issue resulting in delays. This was admitted by departmental officials. We are talking about farmers who are really struggling and many are not making any money, but they are investing in schemes in good faith and then at the end of the year the money will not be paid on time. This is a huge issue. The process needs to be more efficient and simplistic. We need simplification of the CAP and need less burdensome inspections. We in Sinn Féin have also been talking for a long time about a yellow card system such that we will not penalise farmers so hard immediately. We need more proportionate penalties. There must be a much fairer approach, particularly when we are seeing so many farmers being driven from the land. We have to get this right. Therefore, we need to look at constructive co-operation and effective communication systems. This issue has been raised repeatedly. Even though there is a charter of rights, what benefit are we getting from it?

The next issue I want to raise is that of a fair price for produce. The Minister, Deputy Michael Creed, will know that there has been an agricultural market task force report in place since November 2016 at European level. It is an important report which was long overdue. It makes key recommendations on mandatory price reporting, particularly in the meat, fruit and vegetables and dairy sectors. We want accountability when it comes to prices. We need farmers to know where they stand. We also need to help them to organise to get a fair price for their produce.

The food euro was the subject of another proposal made. It reveals how much of €1 spent by consumers on a typical food product goes to each player in the food chain. The consumer can see when he or she buys lamb, dairy produce or whatever else it might be, who is getting what from the amount of money they are spending. The primary producer has been getting the poor man's share for far too long.

I want to know what is being done in Ireland to ensure the report's limited and basic recommendations - they are not radical by any means - are being implemented at European level. I refer to areas of natural constraint, particularly in the west. Hill farmers want to know that, after the next review by the Department, resources will go to those farmers genuinely in areas of natural constraint. I refer to those who are farming on hills and land prone to flooding. We need to get this right. To be frank, we have really taken the mickey with reference to th disadvantaged area payment. It is being made to a large swathe of farmers rather than to those who need it most. We can also make sure those who currently benefit will not be devastated. The right balance can be found, but that is the challenge for the Minister. The payment has to be made to those who genuinely need it most or else there will be a treath to our funding at European level.

There is much more I could say. I will have opportunities at the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine to engage with the Minister. Let me summarise if I can-----