Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)

The pig industry is not yet out of the woods in so far as this crisis is concerned. I implore the Minister to continue to micro-manage this issue. Producers and processors are dealing with serious issues. It is one thing that the markets are open, but it is a significantly different thing to regain market share on the supermarket shelves. Does the Minister agree that the Irish taxpayer would be appalled at the prospect of having to pay compensation to Irish processors of bacon from the Netherlands, Chile or any other foreign country? The Minister and his Department, like the Minister's predecessors who were responsible for previous programmes for Government, have failed to deliver an adequate system of country of origin labelling. It was a flag of convenience in previous programmes for Government, but it has not been delivered. As a result of the Department's failure to deliver country of origin labelling, Irish taxpayers may have to pay compensation in respect of pork that was not produced here.

This country's bovine compensation scheme, which pertains to animals that are diseased, is well established. No similar scheme is available in the pig industry, perhaps for good reasons. Compensation has been paid in respect of bovine animals that were fed with contaminated feed during the recent crisis. I understand the level of compensation is relatively close to the cost of replacing those animals. Those in the pig sector have been left swinging in the wind; the compensation they have received comes nowhere near meeting re-entry costs. Is it the Department's unspoken agenda to force these producers out of the business, given that the compensation offered to them comes nowhere near meeting re-entry costs.

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