Tom Barry (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the deputations. While Bord Bia believes there is a positive future for beef production in the country, as Mr. Cotter has stated, the farmers do not believe it and this is where the kernel of the matter is going. Most farmers who come to me regularly cannot manage.

The papers are lovely and aspirational and it is great to see all the statistics, but farmers cannot cope with the divergence in price between here and the United Kingdom. They believe they are being treated poorly. I believe there is a certain connection between the multiples and their demands for cheaper food. I believe the factories have bought into a situation whereby they work closely with the multiples. I am choosing my words carefully. I believe so-called hello money, or whatever term people wish to use to describe it, exists. I also believe prices will increase significantly after June when the farmer's stock has been given away and we are back to the feedlots supplying. Many farmers are coming to me in desperation. There ask why we do not simply have a boat and that we should forget this grid business because it is breaking them.

We are in a situation whereby we know what we need to get to by 2020. It is not the fault of the deputations in any way. We know where we need to get to and many good people have put a great deal of good work into improving our beef breeds, etc. However, it will be undone. We are not too far away from the 8 cent per burger that was required from Silvercrest to produce a burger when 80 cent should have been required. That behaviour has not gone away. Until we get to the core of this rot, there is no future for beef farming. I may be somewhat controversial in this regard but I truly believe we cannot stand idly by while our beef producers are slowly going out of business.