Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. The key word I used in starting this debate was "retirement". The Minister's focus was more on young farmers and I welcome that.

There are two sides to this, first, those coming into farming and encouraging them to stay and, second, those who may wish to diversify, get out of dairy or reduce their input in dairy, which is important. What is critical here, and I know the Minister also believes this, is that we collectively ensure that farming enterprises are retained and encouraged, albeit with diversification. That is the key message. We hear so much about cutting the national dairy herd and dampening down or changing. We need to talk about broad diversification. We want to keep people on the land, keep our rural communities and viable family farms, add, expand, co-operate and use all sorts of synergies. The reality of new farming for many people is that there will be off-farm income. In some cases, that is by choice and it is to be encouraged. There is nothing wrong with that. For some reason, people have a view that such farmers are lesser farmers. Who is a farmer? Farming is a resource. It is historic, tied up with family and it diverse. Let us not push people off the land. This is about encouraging people and sustaining rural communities and agriculture. I thank the Minister for attending in person and giving a comprehensive overview.