Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)

As I said in my initial reaction to the current crisis, the priority must be to limit the damage done to the sector and to protect the many livelihoods and jobs that are affected. The scale of the losses incurred by individual pig farmers and suppliers have been significant and is an issue that needs to be dealt with. We have already seen large scale temporary lay-offs and there is a likelihood that if the correct measures are not taken today further lay-offs will follow. That is why it is vital that processing and supply to shops begins again immediately.

There are approximately 7,000 people employed in the industry, including approximately 1,200 on farms, as well as other jobs in transportation and retailing. We have seen a significant proportion of the processing work force temporarily laid off and a threat of more losses. There is no reason why things should develop in that manner but it depends upon the industry picking itself up and resuming production.

The crisis over the contaminated produce could not have come at a worse time as farmers have already experienced steep falls in the prices paid to them by the factories over recent months. Unfortunately, this was attributed in some degree to the lack of domestic consumer demand for Irish pork. It will not be helped by what is currently happening and makes it all the more important that the right measures are taken, and are taken quickly, to ensure the sector gets back on track. It also highlights the need to address various issues regarding the marketing of Irish pork and the labelling of pork products.

The export market is also an important aspect of the industry and is equally affected by the current difficulties. The fact that the European Commission has not banned Irish pork is to be greatly welcomed as a ban would have had catastrophic consequences. However, it raises another issue regarding the actions that were taken here. The impact of the current crisis in overseas markets needs to be addressed. What is happening will have immediate effect, as it has had here on the availability of pigmeat, but there is potential for it to cause longer term damage if the withdrawal of Irish pork undermines overseas consumer confidence.

That is why it is essential the Government does all in its power to restore the confidence of overseas customers, and it must begin to do this immediately. An Bord Bia will have a vital role to play in this. The overseas market is crucial, as we export approximately 60% of our produce and those exports were valued at almost €400 million in 2007. There are many jobs and many livelihoods dependent on the export market alone.

Some sections of the British media have treated the issue in a manner that will not help to redress the damage done, and may cause further damage in the long term. One newspaper, infamous for its role in a number of miscarriage of justice cases, ran a sensational headline referring to toxic Irish pork, while another newspaper referred to pigs here being fed plastic bags. These are gutter headlines from the gutter press. That sort of reporting could do immeasurable damage to Irish exports to Britain, which is undoubtedly its intention, and the authorities here must ensure that this stops and that consumers in Britain are provided with the proper information, if necessary by demanding retractions in the newspapers concerned or by placing advertisements.

Another issue that must be addressed is whether the ban, the slaughter of the pigs and the withdrawal of produce from retailers was an over-reaction to the discovery of the contamination. Professor James Heffron of University College Cork, one of the leading experts in this field, stated that if the data collated by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland proves that the levels of dioxins were within the acceptable limit, then there was no reason to order the withdrawal of pork products from sale. He stated that these dioxins are in the atmosphere anyway, and if there were similar amounts likely to have been consumed in the small number of products that were sold, then no harm will have been done. From the very moment the measures were announced, people were being advised that there was no need to be too concerned and no need to seek medical advice. Therefore, there was and is no real threat to public health. On a lighter note, I am sure we all know people who had large fries on Sunday morning, in spite of the announcement that products be thrown out.

Based on previous studies into dioxin contamination, both from food and from the chemical plant explosion in Seveso, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has stated that the health risks involved are minimal and will remain so even for anybody who has consumed contaminated produce. The question therefore must be posed as to whether the withdrawal of all pig meat products was necessary, or whether something like a public health warning might have been more appropriate. We could have been told the facts as they were known on Sunday morning, the level of risk involved and that it was up to us whether we chose to consume the products affected. It should have been a judgment call, and on balance, following advice from different groups including the chief medical officer, the correct decision was taken.

We are currently experiencing a massive shock to the sector, with so many workers being laid off in the run-up to Christmas, and with farmers, butcher shops and butcher suppliers suffering losses. There is an urgent need for a financial package that takes cognisance of all the sectors that have lost out heavily.

There is also an issue with traceability. Was there a failure in the system? Instead of determining exactly which farms and which animals were contaminated and then tracing the supply line through the processors involved, the entire sector became affected. Once it was known which farms had used the feed, should it not have been possible to determine exactly where the processing of contaminated animals took place, what products resulted from this, and to which retailers or exporters they were sent? In that way we could have ring-fenced that part of the sector that is free from contamination. Were officials able to establish this? If not, why was that the case? If they were able to trace the destination of the feed and the location of the slaughter of contaminated animals, why then was it not possible to impose more limited restrictions?

One other issue which might be considered peripheral has also come to attention in the midst of this crisis. Some retailers were still selling pork products that were labelled as Irish last Sunday. They were able to do so because the actual meat was produced in other countries but it was packaged in Ireland and then labelled as Irish. That is a major flaw in the current labelling system and it needs to be addressed in the interests of promoting Irish food produce and for wider health and safety reasons.

The entire sector is going through a very difficult period. We need to work collectively to address it. The Government must be proactive in coming up with a financial package that will alleviate the terrible hardships that people are enduring, especially the producers at the lower end who are in urgent need of support.

Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin: Pig production remains an important part of farming and processing in Cavan and Monaghan, so the Minister will know that there is great local concern about the current crisis, apart from its national implications. The crisis has already had a major impact, with 140 people put on protective notice at McCarren Meats in Cavan and a further 50 workers temporarily laid off at Feldhuesin Clones. There have also been layoffs at the Rosderra Meats plant at Stradone. There were announcements of further layoffs this morning at plants elsewhere in the country, bringing the total number of workers laid off in the sector to around 2,000.

Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal contain the main source of pigs that are sent to processors across the Border, which highlights the all-Ireland aspect of this problem. The Sinn Féin Minister in the Northern Executive, Ms Michelle Gildernew MLA, has overseen the response to the crisis in the Six Counties. We have been advised that eight beef farms were identified as having used the contaminated feed, and that the relevant restrictions were imposed on them. No pig farms in the Six Counties received supplies of the contaminated feed. According to reports today, the food safety authorities in the Six Counties are satisfied that the levels of contamination in the affected beef herds are below that which would pose any risk to human health. Therefore, there will be no need to impose restrictions there, and we have noted the same assurances here today regarding the relevant beef herds in this State.

In her contribution this afternoon, the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Wallace, stated the evaluation process needs to be completed to ensure that all affected product is identified and restricted before post-recall product can be placed on the market. We as Deputies and the wider public need answers, especially those involved in the sector. How long will this evaluation process take before we see post-recall product placed back on the market?

There are many concerns for producers, processors and those who are involved in the preparation of high added value products dependent on pork and bacon. What compensation will these groups receive? Who will pay for the significant losses that each of the groups has suffered? Who will be paid? Can the Minister give assurances that each of those groups, an integral part of the overall industry, will be fully recognised, respected and compensated? People are facing absolute ruin if there is no urgency adopted by the Government in indicating the necessary assurances that compensation will be secured, either from the EU or from ourselves if we have to stand alone on this. Many of these groups are currently distressed and in need of cash, especially in the run up to Christmas, due to the demands of creditors and a need for cashflow to sustain their businesses. Will any approach be made to the Irish financial institutions to put together a package that will address the needs of this sector during the current crisis? Access to funds at this stage is critical to the survival of many of those groups I have described. Can the Minister also note that while empty shelves are bad enough, it is probably only a matter of hours rather than days before we will see foreign pork and bacon produce on Irish shelves in supermarkets throughout this State?

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