European farmers are expressing their anger and outrage at the way farming has been treated across Europe. Thankfully, our Irish farmers are taking to the streets this evening at 6 p.m. in Cahir in my area with regard to the blackguarding they are getting with regulation and bureaucracy and the demonising in this House and elsewhere of good farming practices. If we have no farmers there will be no food. This is the reality we will have. They are being blackguarded. The Department of agriculture is disgracefully treating farmers. There are 28,000 farmers waiting on ACRES payments. They were supposed to be paid last year. These farmers have good records with paying their suppliers. They cannot pay them if they are waiting for these grant payments. It is shocking. It is time the Government sat up and got rid of the green tail and looked after our farmers. Respect the people who provide the food for us. Respect the farm families and support our farmers. Do not be trying to extinguish them completely. We will have nothing only starvation in this country.

I do not think we are close to starvation in the country any time soon. I respectfully say regarding the European Union that we always want to try to reduce the regulatory burden on farmers and enterprise. The European Common Agricultural Policy has been the linchpin of farming in this country in terms of underpinning incomes and payments. Let us never forget this in respect of the value of the European Union's agricultural policy. We have to maintain the focus and prioritisation of this and the Government does. The Department of agriculture is very strong at European level. We have agricultural attachés in countries all over the world.

Why will it not pay the farmers?

The Department of agriculture and the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, are doing everything to support food production and the primary producers, which is important, and to make sure we open up new export markets for beef.

You are so out of touch.

There were 46,000 valid applications for ACRES. We decided because of the exceptional demand to expand it. This created pressures. It is a €1.5 billion flag scheme. It is a big scheme.