Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving us the opportunity to speak on this motion. As a rule, most Deputies are very interested in discussing this important topic but it is clear to anybody who reads this motion that it is nothing short of a political ploy by Fianna Fáil and an attempt to drive a wedge between the farming community and the Government. If the party was serious about the motion there are other issues it would have included. I heard party speakers mention meeting farmers today. I meet them every week. Last Friday, it was Tipperary, on Saturday it was Cashel and there have been many Mondays in Thurles. I meet farmers throughout County Tipperary. I can tell Deputy Ó Cuív there are three big issues facing farmers but the single biggest one which has faced them for the past month is the price of beef in our factories, how much the factories return and how they push down the price in spite of an enormous market being opened up across the world by this Minister, Deputy Coveney. That is their concern and if the Deputy was genuinely serious that is the number one issue he would have tabled.

The second should have been the renegotiation of the Common Agricultural Policy. Anybody I spoke to on the demonstration today wanted to be supportive of Ireland and its Government. They wanted to put the green flag on their back-----

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