Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)

The reason I raise this issue is that in the past ten years one quarter of sheep farmers — four farmers per day — have abandoned sheep production. Is the Minister aware that Irish farmers receive €7 less per head of lamb than farmers in the United Kingdom and €16 less per head than farmers in France?

The movement of lambs from the UK to the Republic via Northern Ireland is a cause of genuine concern and frustration, particularly given the red tape and bureaucracy with which farmers here must contend. One of the specific concerns raised with me is that a farmer may legitimately travel to the UK, buy and store lambs there, import them into Northern Ireland for feeding and then send them across the Border into the Republic for slaughter. The difficulty lies in how one defines the term "further feeding". How is it defined in current regulations? Is it the case that if one gives one bag of lamb crunch or nuts to sheep arriving from the United Kingdom, they qualify as meeting the criteria laid down under the definition and may, therefore, be transported into the Republic for slaughter?

Last week, while visiting Raphoe mart, farmers raised with me the issue of exporting sheep to slaughter to Northern Ireland via the mart. Is the Minister satisfied that current regulations facilitate this movement?

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