Danny Healy-Rae urges protection for small farmers and rural towns
Danny Healy-Rae warned that EU compensation checks described as gifts are not gifts but payments meant to offset low consumer food prices, leaving small farmers at a crossroads. He urged support for small farmers, fishermen and small businesses and pressed for investment in rural sewer schemes.
Main concerns
He argued that the payments arriving 'in the post' are not gifts but compensation because farmers are not being properly paid for their produce and consumers in Europe are receiving cheaper food as a result.
Impact on small farmers
He highlighted the plight of small suckler cow men and other farmers who work long hours calving and caring for calves, saying many are at a crossroads and need protection and fair remuneration.
Appeal to the minister and talks in Europe
He appealed directly to the minister involved in upcoming European talks, wishing him well and urging him to prioritise the needs of small farmers, fishermen and small business people during negotiations.
Rural infrastructure and sewer schemes
He called for opportunities to borrow cheaply for infrastructural projects such as sewer schemes, noting that many rural villages lack adequate systems. He named local places including Cora, Scarta Green and Castle Island and said they have been waiting 'for an extinction for 40 years'.
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Thank you very much, Kahirleach. I'm glad to get just a very short time to talk on behalf of the people that we're representing, whether it is small business people, farmers, fishermen, and we know that these talks coming up are very critical and crucial for all of our constituents. I wanted to go out and I wanted to spell it clearly to the people that we're dealing with over in Europe because the meat is out there that the farmers are getting gift checks in the post. These checks in the post are not gifts at all there and we want to make people realize that. These checks in the post are supposed to be compensation for the farmers not being properly paid for their producers, for their produce. Because it is to ensure that the consumers of Europe get cheaper food. And that's what has been happening. But the farmers are at the crossroads now, so many of them, especially the small suckler, cow men, the men that produce good quality beef, the people that are up in the middle of the night. And calving cows and calving cows and trying to keep calves alive. And I know what it is. There's just a bare fraction between keeping a calf alive or he's dead at a certain point in time if we're not there and to do everything right. I'm appealing to make sure that you see after the farmers, especially the small farmers, because they are at a crossroads, Minister, and I wish you well. You're from the same type of county as ourselves, the same type of terrain. I wish you well in whatever talks you're involved in, because we need your talks to go well for the small farmers, for the fishermen and the small businessmen. And I'm saying to you as well, if there's a chance to borrow money cheaply for infrastructural projects like sewer schemes, there's people out there, even this morning on the radio, saying that no one should build out in the rural countryside, that they should be building in towns or villages. But I say to you, Minister, there's no sewer scheme in any part of Kerry, Hanley. They're all gone beyond what they can process or what they can deal with. The extinctions and new sewer schemes, there's so many villages without any sewer scheme at all. Places like Cora, Scarta Green, Castle Island, waiting for an extinction for 40 years. I have to call on the next question.
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