Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

The objective of the scheme is to make financial assistance available towards the cost of the construction and acquisition of buildings, new machinery and equipment and, consequently, assist the industry in improving efficiency and competitiveness and, in so doing, not only strengthen primary processing but also underpin agricultural incomes.

As regards the operation of weighing scales, I would point out that officials of the Department carry out regular inspections of meat plants to ensure that weighing equipment is operating efficiently and that weighing procedures are being correctly carried out in a consistent manner. In some meat plants, farmers have a clear view of the scales read-out where the plant has installed a special viewing area specifically for this purpose. In some instances it might not be practical for the meat plant to install a viewing area because of building design. In such cases it would be a matter for the plant to decide, taking account of hygiene and health and safety concerns, whether a farmer would be permitted access to the scales area during processing of his or her animals.

Last year 94% of all beef produced was exported and this amounts to 516,000 tonnes.

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