21/04/10

Labour Party spokesperson on Agriculture & Food Seán Sherlock TD has said figures obtained in a PQ from the Department confirming that over 900 farming families have been awarded a payment under the Farm Assist scheme since the start of the year is proof that many farm families are now living on the margins

Deputy Sherlock said: "If the rate of applications were to continue in this vein we will be looking at over three thousand families in receipt of this payment going into 2011. This is a worrying trend and reinforces the need to ensure that any decisions taken on CAP will not further negate farm incomes.

 

 

"The drop in milk prices has had a huge affect on incomes in this sector. I am very concerned that by the time the dairy sector recovers a number of farmers will have chosen to quit the land.

 

 

"It is vital that Minister Brendan Smyth goes into the CAP negotiations with this in mind. As a nation we are heavily reliant on Agriculture and for many families it forms part and parcel of their family history and heritage. The last thing we want is to see people giving up on farm holdings that have been in their family for generations."

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