Mr. Robert Malone:

It goes back to the Deputy's fundamental first question. The food chain, as it stands, is broken. If farmers are protesting outside a retailer with which they do not deal directly, they are doing that because their costs are not recognised through that food chain. That is why we are here. We need legislation to make this food chain transparent, to open it up to see who gets what and to make sure there is fairness right through the food chain. If somebody is dealing directly with a processor and is not on the ground producing pigs or chickens, he or she is a step removed from the reality facing the farmer. The Deputy is right in what he said. In normal circumstances Mr. Sweetnam would go into his processor to supply chickens, outline his costs and negotiate a price increase and that would be it. However, it has gone to a stage where that provision is not in the food chain. We need somebody with legal powers to do a legal overview of the food chain, to request the books to see who is getting what out of the food chain and where the value is going. Ultimately, that is why we are here today. We need to establish the office of a food regulator, fully fund it, have it up and running in order that, on foot of a complaint, I or anybody else can get the regulator to investigate it and call out malpractice. Ultimately, that is why we are here. Retailers are not recognising the cost of production.