171 Mr. Hyland asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if, in view of the efforts of some member states, notably Spain and Portugal, to secure EU emergency aid to help alleviate the effects of drought on agriculture and farm income, he will ensure that a similar case is made for Ireland where the effects of the long term drought have been very serious for Irish farmers. [13500/95]

The dry conditions over the summer months in Ireland are not in any way comparable to the severe drought which has existed in Spain and Portugal for several years.