I ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware that only 52 persons have availed of fish assist across the State as of 31 May 2025; and if the Minister of State with responsibility for the marine and his Department officials will now engage with the representative producer organisations, POs, for inshore and islands fishermen to discuss a financial support or subsidy scheme for the sector.
Sentiment score: 0.62
I thank the Minister. The figures are glaring. There are 13,000 active fishermen in the State and the idea that only 52 of them are in need of support is absurd. There is a disconnect. No one can seriously claim the sector is not under pressure. My understanding and sense of it from the figures, which back this up, is the fish assist scheme is too restrictive and limited. It is not that fishermen and fisherwomen are not aware of it - they know about it - but it is too limited and restrictive and it is not fit for purpose. That is why they are not applying but the need is there. The need is in every coastal community and we see it. Inshore and island fishing communities have been systemically starved of opportunity, denied a fair share of the fish in their own waters, and Government policy has failed them again and again but they are not asking for handouts. These are proud people. They are asking for a viable future. They are asking for proper financial support or a subsidy scheme of some sort that reflects the reality of that situation. The Minister of State and I know it is needed. Will the Minister of State engage with the Minister for Social Protection on foot of this question and debate and collectively take action?
Sentiment score: 0.06
I thank the Minister. To his credit, I know he is engaging with the sector and he has heard from fishermen around the coast. However, the figures still speak for themselves, notwithstanding that some may be disqualified on income grounds. Some may not need the scheme but we know there is great hardship in the sector. This is not necessarily about creating a new subsidy from EMFAF funding; it is about making the existing scheme work for fishermen. The feedback we are getting and the figures released to my colleague Pádraig Mac Lochlainn in response to his parliamentary question to the Department of Social Protection back that up. Fishing communities are on their knees in many respects and fishing activity is under huge pressure. The input costs for fisheries are going up. Those concerned have asked time and again for a fuel scheme to help to ease the pressure but the Minister of State’s predecessor refused it time and again. The Minister of State says the door is open and the community has his ear. His engagement is really welcome but we need it to inform not just his work and that of his Department but also that of the whole of government to ensure we will have a sustainable fishing industry.
Sentiment score: 0.16
I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to add my voice to this important debate. The issue of solar farms on prime agricultural land is a critical one in parts of County Waterford. We all see the advantage of solar power, including solar farms and solar on rooftops. Farmers in rural communities are in favour of this and see the advantages and benefits of it. However, we cannot have development of large solar farms on prime agricultural land take place in what is essentially a legislative and guidance vacuum. We need to see guidelines and they need to be based on consultation with stakeholders in rural communities. We need to understand the impact this will have on agriculture as a sector, but also on the family farm into the future.
Sentiment score: 0.21
86. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the additional supports he will put in place to support family farms in light of the recent finding that only 42% of medium-sized and large farms are economically viable. [36153/25]
Sentiment score: 0.09
The Teagasc survey might show increases in income, but let us not get carried away. We all know that these increases are coming from rock bottom. A rise on next to nothing is still not enough to live on. We have to be clear and truthful with ourselves. The stark reality is that only 42% of farms are economically viable, even after the so-called rebound. Take dairy out of the mix and things are worse again. Suckler farmers are on €13,500 a year and beef farmers are on €18,000. That is far below the minimum wage. It is no wonder that so many farmers have left. They have given up. While we are talking about rising incomes, farmers are still waiting on ACRES payments, they are still being squeezed by sky-high input costs, especially fertiliser, and they are being told there is no money left in the TAMS budget. This is the lived reality on family farms. I ask plainly, when will we see real targeted income supports that match the reality on the ground for beef, suckler and sheep farmers?
Sentiment score: -0.00
The message is out there that TAMS is running low. Let us be clear: the Government has failed to address the crisis in farm incomes and, by extension, rural Ireland family farming. We can talk about surveys and percentages, but families are struggling to make ends meet. There is a cost-of-living crisis gripping communities, urban and rural, all across this State. When we look at farm incomes and the low floor that is there, they need something they can rely on, something that is sustainable, fair and secure. I refer to those rising input costs and the delayed payments. There has been progress, and fair play to the Minister, but it should never have got to that stage and it put so many family farmers under huge financial pressure. Although the percentage of farmers still waiting may be small, they are still waiting and still stretched because of it. What we need is a radical shift, with a Government that puts suckler beef and sheep farmers at the heart of rural policy, not at the bottom of the pile. Viability cannot be a luxury or a pipe dream. It is a basic requirement for the future of these rural communities.
Sentiment score: -0.11