Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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Would Mr. Dowling accept that for the office to function properly, it will need to be able to determine the cost of production or to refer that to some other statutory body? We are not talking about below cost selling as previously existed but selling below the cost of production. There will have to be some mechanism to determine the cost of production of beef in this case, though there are many other agricultural and horticultural products in Ireland which are regularly sold below the cost of production. That will be necessary. Secondly, it will have to have the teeth to examine issues. There is currently a complete lack of transparency, as Mr. Dowling knows, and commercial sensitivity is regularly cited with regard to who is paying what to whom. If the regulator is to have any effect, it will have to have strong statutory powers.