Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am only trying to find out when I should ask because I will ask it anyway. I might as well get on with it and ask it now. There was a serious article in the agriculture media this week about trim in factories and this is something that farmers have felt aggrieved about for a number of years. It now seems concrete evidence is available that what farmers have suspected for a long time is actually the case and that factories have been found guilty of excessive trim before the carcass gets to the weighing scales. It is imperative that we know the names of the factories, the dates on which they were caught at the offences and how many carcasses were involved. How regular are the checks in the various factories? Are there repeat offenders? What detailed scrutiny do the factories have on trim? What percentage of inspections have found an overzealous trim? A €200 fine was imposed. That seems to be a very light slap on the knuckles for something farmers feel has cost them a lot of money over a significant period of time.