Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)

Is the Minister of State saying that there is to be a U-turn in February on the commitment given by the Minister for Agriculture and Food before Christmas or is the Department seriously considering providing viewing facilities for farmers as part of the €50 million meat processing development budget as indicated by the Minister? The difficulty with weights is the Department of Agriculture and Food cannot legally take a prosecution if there is an anomaly with them. Is it the case that officials in the Department of Agriculture and Food cannot take a prosecution because, owing to industrial action, officials in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment are not calibrating the scales on a regular basis.

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