Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Unfortunately, we have a very difficult situation in our beef sector. The motion addresses many of the key difficulties facing the sector. It was put down before the talks took place last weekend and I know those talks addressed some of the issues that the motion raises. However, it is not the first time Fianna Fáil has come before the Dáil with Private Members' motions. Indeed, last March, we had a very similar motion once again drawing attention to the massive crisis in our beef sector. This is a crisis that has been brewing for many years and one the Government has continued to ignore and not address. If we had seen more proactive engagement by the Government in regard to many of the issues that are at play, we might not have got to the crisis stage we are currently in, which has led farmers onto the protest line and resulted in the protracted situation which has been continuing since 28 July.

Underlying the current problem is the issue of price and the need for an income for farmers but, alongside that, there is a total lack of transparency in our beef sector which has not been addressed for many years. Farmers feel the Government has simply not been listening to them. Various representations have been made, either by ourselves in Dáil motions or by farming organisations and farmers, with regard to, for example, the lack of transparency around the 30-month rule, the four-movement rule or the seven-day residency, or around the need for a review of the QPS grid, but these have continuously fallen on deaf Government ears. Likewise, when farmers got into trouble during last year's fodder crisis, the Government did not respond or react promptly to assist farmers, as it had failed to respond to the previous grain crisis. They listened to the Taoiseach, one of whose main contributions to the beef debate was to suggest people should eat less beef in order to improve their carbon footprint. Just a couple of months ago, to put the icing on the cake, we saw the Government not hold the line at European level in regard to allowing a Mercosur deal to be proposed which would see beef coming into an already oversupplied European market from South America.

I acknowledge the work of the Minister of State, Deputy Doyle, the Minister, Deputy Creed, and all of the farming organisations last weekend in the marathon talks and the effort that was put into that. I outlined last night in the Dáil how the Government could and should have been much more hands-on at various times during the crisis to get people into talks. Nonetheless, we now have a situation where the seven farm organisations have signed up and agreed, along with the meat processing sector, to the agreement made at the weekend. I know everybody is giving time and space to the farm organisations to have the necessary conversations with farmers across the country, and to explain the merits of that agreement and how it can be a starting point and key pillar to build upon in order to bring about transparency in the sector.

Everyone is agreed that the continuation of the current situation is undoubtedly impacting on and hurting the sector as a whole and is now affecting markets internationally. We see today the comments on the domestic situation affecting supermarket shelves and restaurants. Coming out of this, the factories have to understand that they must repair their relationship with farmers. There must be transparency and farmers must get a fair price. There is currently engagement across the country in regard to factories planning to reopen but they need to offer fair base prices to farmers with a view to restarting the kill. However, we all acknowledge it is essential that the protests finish and that everyone comes together in order to resolve the situation and avoid further damage over the coming period.

The motion calls for the Minister and the Government to go to Europe to get further funding to help compensate for the losses that have been experienced over the last weeks and months. We had the BEAM scheme, which was fed to farmers before the local elections as being a panacea in terms of the losses they had experienced but which has since then turned out to be a very different kettle of fish. The 5% stock reduction requirement has certainly seen a situation where many farmers feel it is not suitable to their needs, is simply making the wrong asks of them and is not dealing with the key issue of addressing the losses they have experienced up to this point. We have seen no sign from the Minister or the Taoiseach in terms of getting additional funding from Europe to cover the period from May up to now, a period in which farmers have lost more money and prices were poorer then previously.

We also have not seen any initiative from the Minister in regard to trying to improve the situation with regard to live exports. Only a small number of weanlings are currently going to the live export trade to Libya; more need to go and more initiatives from the Government are needed. We also saw the Government failure earlier this year in regard to maximising preparations for the live cattle trade through Cherbourg and the lack of facilities in place around that.

The message from Fianna Fáil is that it is time the Government woke up and started listening to farmers and started addressing these issues. Our motion outlines some key further policies and measures the Government needs to take to assist with the situation. We are asking that, once and for all, the Government listens and takes this on board and once this motion is passed tonight, actually follows through and implements it to bring about the necessary improvement to the lot of farmers to ensure they get fair play.

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