Supports must be given to those most in need

When I was invited to attend the launch of the latest programme, I was delighted, because it took place on the kind of family farm I have always advocated, and it was being led from the Dairygold side by Jim Woulfe, who has always been a supporter of this kind of co-operation.

Unfortunately, we have lost thousands of such family dairy farmers in recent decades, mainly because they never got a fair share of the supports for Irish agriculture. Nowhere has this been clearer than in the distribution of the single farm payment (SFP). Small to medium-size dairy farmers generally had to sell their male calves, and had very little SFP entitlement.

When Simon Coveney became the agriculture minister, he repeatedly stated that family farms would get top priority for support.