Brian Rushe , Dairy farmer, Co Kildare

It is open to all livestock sectors, and I think that’s the way it should be. There is no doubt that dairying is under pressure at the moment but we do have to recognise that grain farmers are having a bad year too. In relation to beef, there are bad prices and savage pressure on farmers at the moment. When we look at the schemes, I would welcome the fact that we are not adopting the measure to cut supply control. I think any attempt by Europe to introduce supply control should be resisted. Targeting a single sector? I’m not a fan of it. I think any financial aid package should cover every sector. I want to avoid a situation where one sector is being picked over the other because there is a farm income crisis and, honestly, that is the No 1 issue.

John Keena , Suckler farmer, Co Offaly

The dairy aid package is definitely welcome. It’s perceived to be only dairy and I can’t see anything other than dairy in it, unfortunately. I suppose the whole beef/suckling sector has been under pressure over the last number of years. The dairy sector has this package now and you have to acknowledge that they are under pressure. But from my perspective and looking at sucklers and beef farmers, they could do with something to keep them going. Suckler farmers need this scheme to provide €200 per farmer to keep suckling alive, to ensure that good-quality beef is going into the factories. We’re selling below the cost of production for a long time; we’re eating into our single farm payments.

James Gallagher , Sheep farmer, Co Leitrim

The minister has said that the payment will be spread across all livestock sectors so the sheep farmer is entitled to a share of that cake. We have had difficult winters the last few years that seems to be recurring. Whether it’s climate change or not, winters are getting longer and the cost of production is increasing. It’s vitally important that we ensure farmers, the caretakers of the land, get equal funding. The sheep sector in both the hill areas and on lowland are experiencing similar costs. The hills are the weakest areas compared to lowland farmers but the hill man is depending on sale of store lambs and if some of the sheep farmers who finished lambs early purchase these lambs and if they’re not making money, it won’t circulate around.

Billy Cotter , Tillage farmer, Co Cork

Personally, I wouldn’t like to consider it as a dairy package – I’d like to consider it as a package for all farmers: livestock, dairy, tillage and horticulture. On the tillage side, this is our fourth year in a row producing grain at below the cost of production, so we need to get something back or we’re going nowhere. We have to argue for matching funds from our own Government. There has to be some way of sharing this out among all farmers. After all, we are all in crisis. It has to happen. We’re actually going broke. If we don’t get some support from our own Government, with the downward spiralling of grain prices, we won’t be farming in another year’s time.