asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if his Department have reached any decision regarding the pilot area in Monaghan.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Monaghan Pilot Area.
65.
As I indicated in my reply to the Deputy on 27th April, the future of the pilot area scheme is being considered in the context of the EEC directives on structural reform and the recent report on western agriculture by Dr. Scully of my Department. A farm development scheme to conform with the EEC directives is now being prepared. It is expected that this scheme, which will be introduced early next year, will replace most of our present measures of assistance for small farmers, including those operated in the pilot areas.
Will the pilot area scheme continue in EEC conditions?
I do not think it is likely. The thing to bear in mind about the pilot area experiment is the very fact that it was an experiment. The purpose of the experiment was to determine norms which would guide future planning of small farm operations in poor land areas. A great deal of very valuable information has been accumulated in this regard. The very fact that the treatment of the pilot areas was special, in that the farmers in the areas got treatment over and above people in similar areas that were not fortunate enough to be in pilot areas pointed up this——
Is it not the case that if the pilot area scheme does not continue in EEC conditions, and I do not see that there is any reason why it should not, the people in Monaghan will have fewer facilities available to them than they have at the moment while they are in the pilot scheme? The Minister should consider this matter closely with a view to possibly continuing the pilot area scheme if this can be done.
Obviously to create a situation where there would be a sudden drop to the detriment of the farmers involved and to treat them unfairly in any way would be a situation to be avoided but it is worth remembering that these particular farmers, in the first place, got treatment that nobody else got and they should by now be in a position of greater advantage than their neighbours.
Question No. 66.