Mr. Brian McHugh:

We have received over 170 complaints recently. If the matter the Deputy mentioned on chicken feedlots is part of that, we will be working through it.

On the letter from the Beef Plan Movement and the work that we do, we wrote a letter to highlight potential concerns about anti-competitive behaviour.

It also highlighted the risks it was taking. It is the type of letter we send as standard to try to get compliance. It was not an enforcement letter. It also highlighted the options it would have to become a producer organisation.

Returning to the Deputy's point that farmers cannot get their representative and go on and negotiate. If they are in a producer organisation, they can negotiate with that processor. That is what it allows them to do. Our letter pointed out that this exemption existed and groups such as the Beef Plan Movement could look at that option.