Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I want to be clear about this. Indicative tests on a sample of pork fat routinely taken under the Department's national residue monitoring programme were found to be positive for non-dioxin-like marker PCBs at the Department's laboratory at Backweston. That was on Friday 28 November, not September. Deputy Crawford, Deputy Ó Caoláin and I know many pig producers and people working in the industry. Over the years, this industry has unfortunately had a crisis every two or three years. I know the pressures many are under with regard to the banks, and I have conveyed to the banks our determination to ensure the industry gets going as quickly as possible. They are well aware of the Government's interest in ensuring that processing, which is the kernel of all activity in this area, starts again. I assure Deputy Crawford that we are particularly concerned about this issue and anxious to get stocks out again.

See this speech in context