John Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Neville for sharing time. Like Deputy Neville, I share in the sadness experienced by people in west Limerick in recent days as a result of the loss of 140 jobs in the Kerry Group at Kantoher Chickens. I am concerned for the 40 growers who depend on Kantoher and for those who provide indirect services.

I call on the Kerry Group to provide west Limerick and the people of Kantoher with a goodwill gesture. Kantoher Chickens was founded on a co-operative basis 101 years ago. I call on the Kerry Group to return the buildings and the infrastructure to the community. I have spoken to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in recent days and I know he, with the various State agencies and Shannon Development, will ensure that a task force will be put in place to deliver new jobs to west Limerick, particularly Kantoher. I hope we will be able to use the current infrastructure to help create such jobs. This would be to the long-term benefit of west Limerick.

I encourage everybody concerned to ensure that these jobs are created for the sake of the workforce, the growers and everyone involved with Kantoher. Every household in the parish of Kileedy has been involved with the company during its many years in operation and they deserve the gesture to which I refer from the Kerry Group.

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