Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for being here this morning. The CAP reform negotiations that are currently under way were initiated in 2018 and Ireland had to make a submission by January 2020. I have met many young farmers in my own neck of the woods and have spoken to people from various sectors and there are two main issues at play. Farmers are opposed to any cuts and are concerned about convergence and redistribution. This is particularly the case for active farmers and I engaged with the Minister on this recently. Many different proposals are being brought forward and farmers are fearful. They are afraid that if there are cuts to the CAP budget, it will have a detrimental effect on the farming community in Ireland. Farming is such a difficult business at the moment. We want to encourage young farmers to take over family farms but many farmers are in full-time or part-time off-farm employment. Two important issues have been raised with me, the first being the mental health and well-being of farmers. All of the talk about cutbacks is putting a lot of pressure on their mental health and well-being. Many farmers have young families and are worried about how they can keep their farms going. I would like to see mental health and well-being incorporated into our CAP reform submission. The other important issue is farm safety. Farm Safety Week takes place in July and now is an opportune time to raise the issue. There have been a huge number of farm accidents, and a lot of them have ended up in tragedy, which is very sad. In 2019, there were 19 fatalities. Up to mid-2020, there had been 14 fatalities, which is tragic. Now is an opportune time, when CAP is being looked at, to give assurance to farmers. They are the lifeblood of our culture in Ireland. There are so many agrifood businesses that have been established from farms. I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's response.