Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise if I am repeating anything that has been said. I was away on account of a vote.

Last week, Mr. Ray Doyle from ICOS and one of the exporters were here. They were clearly pointing to a problem with increasing our live exports. It is a capacity problem over in Cherbourg.

It is obvious that in respect of the number of calves being born, and thus the number of animals to be moved on, additional capacity is needed. It is also in the Government's interests that this happens because it is asking farmers to produce these animals. Additional calves are coming in from the dairy sector as well. Is the Department working on a solution to the lairage shortage in Cherbourg? We were told there was no problem with the market or in any other area in transporting animals abroad. However, a lairage shortage has been identified in Cherbourg. The Government needs to respond such that farmers can have more options in achieving better prices than they are currently achieving.

I agree that beef farmers and suckler farmers are at a low ebb. They are angry because, despite all their efforts in raising animals, they are losing money. We all know the current situation in terms of prices is not sustainable. Brexit has been mentioned. Another issue that has not been played out in mainstream media is the impact down the line of climate change and what will be expected of farmers. In regard to the efforts to improve the carbon efficiency of farming, there has been a great deal of criticism of farming, much of it unfair. The Chairman mentioned the Department's report and SWOT analysis that was carried out in advance of the Brexit vote. Climate change is now centre stage in reports. Do the witnesses have any concerns about the Food Wise 2025 plan in terms of what will be demanded of farmers under proposed climate change measures? What advice do they have farmers? An additional carbon tax, as proposed by the Citizens' Assembly, has been ruled out. However, farmers are losing money. The imposition of more costs on them would push them in the wrong direction. If they are to continue to produce animals in the same way they have up to now and they continue to lose money, it is will end badly.

I understand the cynicism. It stems from the fact that there have been reports on the weak position of the farmer in the food supply chain but nothing has been done to benefit the farmer. Farmers continue to be price takers and there have been no gains from all of the efforts. I have no doubt efforts are being made to resolve this issue. There is a message being sent abroad by some in the new beef plan movement that people should not join the beef environmental efficiency pilot. This is what farmers are being told. There is a lot of cynicism. The pilot is an opportunity, not a solution. A lot of us worked hard to make the case pre-budget for more money for farmers. Farmers are at a low ebb. They need some pathway out of the current situation. They must be assisted to put this type of farming on a more sustainable footing. As mentioned by Senator Daly, we can set all the targets we want for exports, but if the primary producer is being crushed, the process will not last too long.