Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

All right. On the other issues, I have met with the pig sector in the IFA as well as individual operators.

I acknowledge it is a difficult challenge which has been complicated at EU level most recently by an extension of African swine fever into Belgium. The biggest imperative for the industry now is to maintain our own biosecurity in this area, and there is a high level of engagement to create an awareness of that. As an island nation, we have certain natural advantages with biosecurity but there is no room for complacency. From the engagement I have had I appreciate that credit and the labour force are big issues for the sector, as are prices. Bord Bia has a promotion in China and other parts of Asia this year, which is an important matter. There has also been an issue with the ceiling of grant aid for investment in pig units. We are looking at whatever flexibilities might be there under the rural development plan, RDP, which are not evident as we speak, to see if we could grant more aid for investment in farming. It must be borne in mind, however, that it is to facilitate improved welfare circumstances on farms, thereby eliminating the use of antibiotics and so on. It does not facilitate greater production volumes but it makes it more welfare friendly and hopefully more efficient also. There is no easy fix here. We have engaged with the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, SBCI, also on the overall issue of merchant credit and how SBCI might get involved in that space, generally speaking, but it is at an early stage.

On the hardship scheme, there are obviously the State's means-tested welfare schemes but in the context of the overall response by the Department to the fodder issue, which I think is what Deputy McConalogue was referring to, we have responded clearly to all the issues that have been raised at the stakeholder forum. The forum continues to meet and will be important in continuing to assess where we are and what interventions are needed.