William Aird: Urges Release of Full €85m for Farmers

Can I just ask first of all, we're getting 85 million for farmers, alright, and their farmers as well, the people that's growing the vegetables and all that, does that come out of that 85 million as well? You know, I know that you're not finished with them from the 24th of June. The horticulture? Yeah. Yeah, so there's 2 million euro of a ceiling ring fence for them out of the 85 million? So because, no, just looking at the figures as it is at the moment, like you know, and some people, you know what, they used to give out stink to me because they weren't getting more than 20 cents and that's grand. But looking at the figures now, even with the horticulture, I could go back to a lot of my people and just tell them, look, I'd be hoping that you get a second cheque by Christmas for a few, because we're hardly going to get back the money, sure we're not, Minister. So I, you know, I have to engage in the farmers' budget. No, because through the chair, you never did say, in fairness to you, I didn't know where the 20 cent came. You know, we were coming on, we'd say it's 85 million, right? No, we were trying to, in fairness to the farmers, to apply, we were trying to get a handle on what is this looking, is it worthwhile. On a good day, it could be 30. So I have state aid requirements, I have to get sanctioned, so I had an overall scheme, I had to design that scheme, I had to explain to the Department of Public Expenditure what we believed, what we estimated the demand would be, and we got an allocation for that, which we're discussing here today, that's what the overall allocation is here today. Don't apply it, don't apply it. Deputy Mayor, my absolute desire would be to pay as much as I can, and not to leave any money behind, but that would be something that would be subject to sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure, we'd need to have that discussion when we have our final figures. Doesn't it make it easier for you, Minister? But also, as I said earlier, our state aid requirements. But doesn't it make it easier for you, if the people out there are expecting something at Christmas, you know, put the pressure on you, you can go back and say that then, alright? No, but the next question... No, just on that one. Ah, no, look, I... No, no, can I answer that point specifically? There would be a difference between trying to have another payment at the back end of the year when we make all of our payments, in terms of the pressure on the system. I'd like to see the £85 million, I'm sorry, on a serious note, I'd like to see the £85 million spent... If I can finish, if I can finish, if I could get more per litre now, practically on an administrative system, would be a better way of being able to do that than trying to do it at the back end of the year when all of our payments are going out and our officials and board meetings will be under a lot of pressure. But, as I say, it's not just sanctions, there are state aid requirements here, and you can shake your head and say... Just a few questions, I'd like to ask a few. How specific pressures are driving the supplementary estimate for Ward 30, and which areas of the department's original 2026 budget were miscalculated? Or would that be... For this estimate? Yeah. This estimate is... No, not the one with the fuel, forget about the fuel. That's what we're here for, this is the 100 million. Oh, not, not even the fuel. This is only the 100 million. If I could just say, the 85 million is agriculture, farmers, farm contractors, forestry contractors, and horticulture. The other 15 million is fisheries and aquaculture, which we need to deal with. So that's the 100 million. That's the only supplementary, I'd love more of a supplementary, but that's the only one I have. Yeah, and can we ask this question then, can I just ask this question, and I'll go back to the fuel one thing, because I have a couple of seconds, but, is it true that are we going to give money from our Department of Agriculture budget to the education budget? It's all just talk. So in terms of the levy that has been discussed, a levy has been referenced by the Department of Public Expenditure for 2027 on all departments on the basis of an increased allocation that was required for education, and that figure has been touted to departments in terms of negotiations for next year. But I want to be really clear here, I'm going to treat this budget process the same as I treated last year's budget process. I have my priorities for this department, I recognise if everything's a priority, nothing's a priority, so I do need to pick and choose the things. So last year I was really clear, I had a TB action plan that needed serious resources, I got those resources, that was a priority. It was an absolute priority for me, if I can finish, this is important, I explained this right. I've only got one 20 seconds left, but can I know, I know, I know, I will ask this question, is the money coming out of this year? Give me 10 seconds, give me 10 seconds. So I will approach this budget the same, I will have my priorities, I got a 9% increase last year, I expect and anticipate to get an increase in this year's budget for next year too. Yeah but there's no money coming out of this year's budget? No. No, because that's the read that's out there, it just says that they're looking for 20, and where did the figure 27 million come out? What Minister Chambers has referenced is levies on departments for 2027, that's part of your budget negotiations. So he wants you to go in with 27 million less next year to go into the Department of Education? I have no intention, as I start my budget negotiations, I have no intention of coming back out with less for next year than I had for this year, all going well, and if I do I'll have done a bad job negotiating, so I'll try and avoid that happening. But I would say to you I got a 9% increase last year, so I've set the bar high for myself in terms of getting an increase for all of our agri-sectors last year, and I managed to deliver that increase for TB, protect the higher rate of livestock payments, and have a dedicated fund for the tillage sector, which is one of my priorities. You're 1-9% increase in everything, I think we're not going to have a good year in agriculture, like in the tillage industry at the moment needs extra money, like at the price of meat down, look what's happening with the beef side of it, there's nobody making money out of it. It's a really challenging time. They're dropping it down over 6 years, they've gone to 5.80 today courting for cattle, they're going to break people out there, they're going to break the confidence in beef. But all I just want to say is, in fairness to everybody in the department, you got us 85, well we have 85 million, please don't send any of it back, all I'd ask you, will you give all of the 85 million out, it's badly wanted, that's all I'd ask, badly badly wanted.