Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 18 Dec 1991

Vol. 414 No. 9

Adjournment Debate. - Disadvantaged Areas Scheme.

Mr. Moynihan

I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for affording me this opportunity to give expression to this problem. I am very pleased that the Minister of State, Deputy Walsh, is here. I am quite sure that he in his own area is very conversant with the problem to which I shall relate in my appeal to him.

I appeal to the Minister to have a revision of the criteria currently governing the reclassification of farms from disadvantaged to more severely handicapped undertaken without further delay. Under the present criteria a farmer seeking reclassification to that category cannot exceed 40 per cent of the national farm income, which would mean at present levels an income of £3,000 per annum. Such income is, of course, totally unrealistic.

Currently there is a very large number of appeals under investigation but unless the revision I am seeking is completed and new guidelines are adopted very few of the appeals will be successful.

In the Programme for Economic and Social Progress a firm commitment was given that the criteria would be revised in advance of the appeals. I quote from the programme:

In negotiations with the Commission on the current headage proposal, the Government will examine the extent to which marginal areas which were not included for classification and reclassification could subsequently be included and in addition the appeal body will be asked to take particular account of this issue. As regards reclassification, the criteria will be reviewed in advance to enable the case of marginal areas to be considered.

That is the basis of my appeal to the Minister today; to have the revision undertaken and replaced before any decisions are made on any of the appeals submitted to his Department, the termination date for appeals being 6 December 1991.

Any decision to proceed with the investigation of appeals on the existing criteria would cause massive dissatisfaction among the farming communities concerned. These communities are looking forward to the increased benefit from EC payments applicable to the more severely handicapped areas as the only hope of avoiding extreme hardship on many small farms consequent to the reduction in milk prices, in milk quotas and in cattle prices in recent years.

Decisions to extend disadvantaged areas and to extend the reclassification by 1.5 million acres were welcomed in the Government's programme. However, unless what I am seeking here tonight, the revision of the criteria, is forthcoming there is no possibility that a very substantial volume of that acreage will be admitted to the reclassified category within the existing criteria. That criteria set out very clearly that to be successful farmers must have less than 40 per cent of the national farm income. At the moment that figure is £3,000.

I wish to point out that neither £3,000, £5,000 nor £7,000 would be sufficient today. Therefore I appeal to the Minister tonight to have the revision undertaken and completed before the decisions on reclassification appeals commence. By doing so, he will earn the gratitude and confidence of a large number of small farmers.

Minister of State at the Department of Food and Agriculture (Mr. Walsh)

I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, and I also thank my colleague Deputy Moynihan for raising this matter, which is a matter of interest and concern to many farmers around the country — not only in south Kerry but also in its neighbouring area of west Cork.

Mr. Ferris

And south Tipperary as well.

Mr. Walsh

Deputies may be interested to know that not one hectare was reclassified in west Cork under the recent review. I am hoping that we will do a little better under the appeal.

As the Deputy is aware, to be reclassified from less to more severely handicapped status an area must be homogeneous, consist of poor land and have the characteristics of low farm incomes, heavy dependence on agriculture and satisfy the following criteria: (1) less than 7.8 per cent of ploughed land; (2) less than one livestock unit per forage hectare; (3) less than 40 per cent of the national average family farm income per male farm worker; (4) population density less than 27 per square kilometre; (5) more than 40 per cent of the working population engaged in farming.

As the Deputy has pointed out, it is most difficult to meet those criteria. Therefore, in line with the commitment made in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, my Department are at present reviewing the criteria, particularly criteria Nos. 3 and 5, those relating to family farm income and the percentage of the working population engaged in agriculture. That is to enable the case of marginal areas under appeal to be considered for reclassification in association with the appeals panel.

The Department's proposals to modify those criteria will be discussed with the appeals panel and the outcome will be announced in the new year.