Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

I ask the Minister to personally intervene in the North-South issue. Deputy Blaney raised the matter but the Minister did not answer it. Pig producers have sourced their feed in Northern Ireland and send their pigs to Northern Ireland to be slaughtered. At the moment they are not being facilitated. I ask the Minister to intervene, through the North-South Ministerial Council, to see if we can get some process going. This pigmeat has not been affected.

The critical issue is getting the processing plants up and running again. Does the Minister have a plan to intervene with the major processors? The Minister mentioned that smaller abattoirs are up and running but the major processors will decide if we have a future in the pork industry.

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