Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and wish him well in his negotiations this week, which he will attend following this contribution. What I have heard from farmers right across Tipperary is that it is important that the Minister stands up to the Commissioner because there is a feeling that he does not have farmers' interests at heart so the Minister must represent Irish farmers, including those in Tipperary, as strongly as possible. We in Tipperary lost approximately €13 million when the previous CAP negotiations took place and we could potentially lose €7.5 million if convergence happens again. That is a hugely damaging to the industry. At the moment, the industry is doing quite well but it is volatile and that has always been the case. We must be seen to support productive and sustainable farmers going forward. I stress to the Minister the importance of the position he and the Government play in supporting productive farmers. In recent weeks we have seen issues in other areas, which I know we cannot speak about too much, but there are areas within farming that can be very vulnerable on the back of decisions that are made. Productive farmers in my community in Tipperary cannot survive without the support and payments coming from Europe. We must support productive farmers. We produce food for 50 million right across the world, but to do that we need the support from the Minister, the Government and European Union. I urge the Minister to represent all the farmers within this country in his negotiations in the coming days. I know he will do that, and I wish him well in it.