Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

One cannot set what happens in the market. All one can do is monitor and bring transparency to what is happening in the market. We have a situation where 90% of the food we produce is exported so the ultimate price we get for much of our produce is determined by what is happening in some 160 international markets around the globe. The key focus of our national agricultural sector and the different actors, agents and farm families involved is to try to produce the best quality product possible. We must provide a premium product, market it well and maximise its price.

Ultimately, the price is set outside the country. We need to be able to bring as much transparency to bear on how you trace that back from the prices on the international market to what is happening within the supply chain and to the price the farmers are getting. The more transparency we can bring to this area, the more we can create that culture and put pressure on to ensure that primary producers and farmers get a fair deal.