asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the number of applicants under the farm modernisation scheme who will be reclassified as small or transitional farmers from the development class of farmers as a result of the serious drop in farm incomes at present.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Farm Modernisation Scheme.
14.
The question of re-classifying farmers already in the development category does not arise. Such farmers have been assessed by reference to their ability to achieve the comparable income on completion of a development plan of up to six years. Plans are based on constant prices and costs and are not, therefore, affected by year to year changes.
If the scheme under this directive favours a certain type of farmer and does not help the small farmer, is there anything to prevent the Department making development grants, not necessarily EEC grants, available to small farmers?
If there was an unlimited purse and if we got the permission of the EEC, which we have to get for any additional assistance, of course we could dish it out to people all over the place, and nobody would like doing that better than I would.
I resent the implication about dishing out money to small farmers.
I am sure the Minister saw the television programme the other night where a man with 420 acres was mentioned. The adviser was asked which category he would go into. This man had 60 calves this year, 30 cows and 100 sheep and the adviser said he might be classified as a development farmer. If that is the case, will the Minister not agree that that type of scheme is useless? It appeared on television that this man might be a potential development farmer. People in my area looking at that were ready to give up the ghost.
The Deputy will appreciate I cannot discuss an individual case.
I am not asking the Minister to do that. This is the general trend in the matter of developing farmers. To my mind the scheme will have to be changed.
The type of farming carried on involves the quality of the land, the capacity of the farm itself and many other things. There is the question of whether a man is capable of reaching the comparable target of £1,800.
Would the Minister try to get us a percentage? Very few classifications have been done and is the Minister aware that the reason for that is that the advisers have been waiting for different trends in prices?
I am very surprised to hear that advisers should be thinking on those lines because of the substance of the reply I have just given. This is not based on prices at a time when prices are very low.
Could an average not be struck? Speculation is very dangerous.
Is the Minister satisfied with the rate of progress being made in the categorising of farmers?
Yes, in view of the period during which the scheme has been operating.
Is it not a fact that new directives are being sent by the Department to the county committees of agriculture every couple of weeks?
That is not so. There is constant discussion on problems arising with the advisory services whose job it is to make assessments. Any scheme that was ever introduced has shown up certain problems as time went on. It is my intention to bring these back to the EEC when we have had some sort of experience of the schemes working over a period and when we can say: "This is what is happening; these are the difficulties."
The Minister has said there has been no delay in so far as giving a man the go ahead is concerned—if he wants to build a hayshed or do something else. But when will he be categorised? That is the point I am getting at. Ninety per cent of the instructors' time is spent going around telling the farmers they can go ahead.
It is the responsibility of the CAOs to tell them which category they are in.
Can the Minister say that because of the serious drop in farm incomes numerous farmers who would be classified in the development class are not now being reclassed into the small farmer or the transitional grades?
I have tried to explain to the Deputy that this has no effect at all on the assessment of farmers as to which category they come into. It is assessed on constant prices, normal prices, not just on abnormal prices that are there for a temporary period.