Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

I hope when I have concluded my contribution the Minister of State will not say the Government or his party have no say on this matter. I refer to the closure of the Nestle plant in Mallow, which uses approximately 20,000 tonnes of sugar supplied by Mallow sugar factory and 15 million gallons of milk supplied by Dairygold. The plant employed 57 people and this is the greatest blow that has ever been struck in the north Cork region. Nestle produces chocolate crumb in Mallow and in Girvan, Scotland, and it is proposed that the Girvan plant will be retained.

The silence of the IFA and the ICMSA regarding the factory closure in Mallow and the transfer of jobs by Dairygold from Mallow and Mitchelstown to Cork is tantamount to them selling their birthright for a mess of potage. Nestle stated the Scottish facility would be retained in favour of the leased Irish based facility in Mallow. The property is leased from Dairygold. The co-operative voice of milk and beet producers should be conveyed to Dairygold management, otherwise the dairy industry and the jobs it provides in the region will be no more. The region has been hit hard and I seek Government intervention there. It would be worthwhile if the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment were to visit Mallow and meet the management of Dairygold and Nestle.

Dairygold staff are being transferred from Mallow and Mitchelstown to Cork. The staff were informed earlier that 20 December is D-Day. They will be supplied with boxes to move their materials and they will be bussed between both towns and Cork for 12 weeks. I call on the Minister of State to involve himself and the Government in this issue. The job losses at Nestle could impact on the sugar beet and diary industries. It is a serious matter and the development of agriculture and domestic production must be examined. I hope the Minister of State's response will be positive.

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