Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. It is great to have the senior Minister with us. As he knows, the sheep sector is important to me. My family are all in the sheep sector and it is how I was born and reared. It is also important to the country, so I am glad we are having this discussion. I hope that what I have asked in the Commencement matter will be answered without prejudice about other parts of the agricultural sector. I would like to know the rationale behind the difference in the direct payment for sheep compared with beef suckler cattle in the new Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, and how the Department will work to support the sheep sector further.

The sheep sector is a vital part of the agri-economy and all rural communities. There are approximately 34,000 sheep farmers. As the Minister knows, County Donegal has the largest number of sheep in the country. In the counties with the most marginal land, hilly land, and the poorest of farmers, one will find farms with a combination of beef suckler cattle and sheep. I want to highlight a specific mathematical discrepancy.Fifteen cattle equals 100 ewes. Fifteen cattle will receive €3,350 while 100 ewes will get €1,200. If sheep farmers were getting the same supports as suckler farmers, it would represent a payment of around €33 per ewe, rather than the €12 per ewe promised. It would be beneficial to get an answer to this question on why a vulnerable sector like the sheep sector does not get the same level of support as the suckler sector, which is also a very vulnerable and valuable sector. The Minister may know that the sheep sector has had a few difficult years, but sheep farming is a love and a way of life. It must be supported to encourage young farmers back into the sector. I grew up in it; it is an industry I understand and I have a deep connection with my sheep. Nothing highlights that more than when the Cooley Mountains were depopulated of sheep due to foot and mouth disease. No person in this Chamber would understand the trauma of that for my community, but the resilience of my community in the Cooley Mountains to restock and come back after those dark days proves my point about the importance of the sheep sector to our economy, culture and heritage.

The average age of farmers is increasing and is currently 56 years in sheep farming. If anyone is familiar with sheep farming, particularly sheep farming on marginal land, they will know that it is time-consuming and labour-intensive. The hours are long and hard with clipping, dipping, dagging and dosing. The time is spent on manual task. I can tell the House first hand that it is difficult. If you have ever tried to turn over a stubborn sheep to check her feet or her udder, you will understand the strength you need. This is not an older person's game. We need youth in the sector and we need to encourage youth into the sector.

I am putting forward a case for the sheep farmers of Ireland for more direct support for their sector and particularly an increase in the payment in the new sheep improvement scheme next year. I acknowledge the new scheme will see farmers getting €12 per ewe rather than the €10 they receive in the present sheep welfare scheme, but a €2 increase is clearly not enough. I also acknowledge that there are other supports coming but we need to protect, support and encourage sheep farmers who are often an afterthought in national policy. With the Minister's background and knowledge of County Donegal and my knowledge of County Louth and the sheep farmers in the Cooley Peninsula, I know we will not allow that to continue.