Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It has been brought to my attention that there is some regulation under discussion in Brussels as to whether Irish farmers who live in the six north-eastern counties will be able to use Ireland as their place of origin. I would be interested to hear the Department’s view on this because I understand there would be a need for its strong input to protect the right of Irish farmers to use Ireland as their country of origin for their beef.

Many Southern cattle go to the North to be processed. We need to have that open market because it is bad enough not being able to get cattle into the British market. If we do not take a firm stand on this proposal, cattle slaughtered in the North will become stateless. They will not be Irish because they were not slaughtered here and they will not be British because they were not bred there. What is the Department doing about this? I am of the view that in the long term, taking a chauvinistic Twenty-six Counties view of the world does not serve us well because of trade across the Border. I am always reminded of Sean Quinn describing Derrylin as some things South of the Border, others North of the Border and everything on the Border. He knew all about working the Border.