Mattie McGrath: Warns Climate Bill Is an Attack on Rural Ireland
Mattie McGrath spoke on 16 June 2021, criticising the climate bill and CAP reform proposals as harmful to rural Ireland and farm families. He demanded clarity on CAP funding and called for written answers on co-funding thresholds.
Visit to Caelh and farming background
He described visiting Caelh to meet IFA farmers, noting a large turnout, warm applause and a welcome from customers and shopkeepers. He identified himself as a hill sheep farmer who has leased his farm to his son and emphasised the central role of farming in the community.
CAP funding and co-funding demand
He raised a direct question about a £1.5 billion ring-fence under the CAP and asked whether the Government would move to 57% co-funding, requesting a written answer from the minister. He warned that payments have fallen behind and that farmers have been unfairly labelled as laggards while delays persist.
Attack on rural Ireland - criticism of the climate bill
He characterised the climate bill as an attack on rural Ireland and farm families and said the proceedings were an indictment of the Government. He criticised the parliamentary timetable, noting only six minutes were allotted to debate CAP reform proposals while four hours were set to progress the bill, and called the approach shameful.
Schemes, regulation and farm viability
He argued that current schemes are often unprofitable once adviser fees are paid, praising the Rupp scheme as previously decent but calling recent measures "folly." He warned of excessive regulation and red tape, said farmers have contributed to climate efforts and fed the nation through recessions, and insisted they must not be made scapegoats, including criticising Eamon Ryan's role in driving ideas he described as extreme.
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From what I go at the outset, could I excuse the two Deputy Healy Way brothers who are attending their Uncle's funeral and Zoom at this point in time, our sympathies go to their family. Minister, I was in Caelh last week to meet the IFA farmers and it was so beautiful, a beautiful day, beautiful turnout and a huge crowd in the square in Caelh. And the applause and the welcome that they got from the customers and from shoppers and from shopkeepers and owners and all the people. They naturally called the Caelh. That's what it's all about. Farming is so important. We're all only one step away from it. I'm a farmer, a hill farmer, a sheep farmer, which I've leased to my son. So I just want to be honest on that. Look, Minister, I want to ask you, first of all, a direct question. I want an answer in writing because there's a £1.5 billion ring fence under the cap for schemes and for money. You can, the Government and you, on behalf of the Government, can go up to 57% co-funding on that. Are you going to do that? We already saw where the money has fallen behind in the payments already. The farmers have been blamed as laggards. The Government has had laggards and laggarden farming. And I want to re-echo what Deputy Nolan and Deputy Connan said. I mean, the backpinsers coming in here and playing price platitudes and supporting farming and telling us about scaremongering. And some farm organisations also said we're scaremongering. But they're here today and now worry when the horse has bolted. What's going on here tonight in the climate bill, which you're going to vote for, is an attack on rural Ireland. Attack on farm families. Nothing short of it. I wish you well in your talks. And the conventions, I expect, will come out around 75%. And I suppose we can live with that and be happy with that. But, I mean, you have Mickey Mouse schemes. The Rupp scheme was a decent scheme. Glass came in. But now what you have is folly. By the time you pay an advisor to submit the scheme, there's nothing out of it. So it must be profitable for the farmer to get out of bed and do their work. They will put their shoulder to the wheel. They've fed us as a nation. They were the people that brought us out of three recessions before. And we're facing one now. And they will be as well, if they're left. But there's too much regulation, too much red tape. And above all, Eamon Ryan hoovering him over like Pitty Coat Lewis and Bay Lock, boltering down half of all these mad ideas. Well, the farmers do an awful lot for climate change and accept it and understand it. But they cannot be made a scapegoat here. And that's what's going to happen tonight here. It's so dastardly that we've only six minutes out, group, to debate the CAP reform proposals. That's an indictment on you, Minister or Government, before we only give that kind of time to rule Ireland, the most important industry that we have. And then we're going to have four hours tonight to ramp through a bill to try and kill off families altogether. It's shameful. And if your deputies are going to come in and finagale and some independents and vote for that tonight, they should hang their heads in shame. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
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