Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to start by sincerely thanking all of the Members for their contributions. I have taken copious notes, and I hope I can get a chance to reply to all of the points that were made. There was a common thread running through some of them, so if I do not attribute a response to any particular Senator, there is no offence intended.

I want to respond to Senator Daly's contribution. I think it was made in search of a headline, to be honest. Senator Daly remarked that Fine Gael rented the family farm and that the evidence of that was the Department's underspend. I must tell Members something. In 2008, when there was a Fianna Fáil Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the payments under the areas of natural constraints, ANC, scheme to which the Senator alluded were slashed, installation aid was abolished and the Department had an underspend of €150 million.