John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to contribute in the short time allocated. Everyone acknowledges there is a problem. It has been outlined by the Minister of State in the motion. While everyone acknowledges there is a problem, it will not be solved by the farmers, the factory owners and the Minister firing shots and accusations at one another. Round table discussions, which have taken place, and the actions proposed must be progressed.

I looked at average deadweight prices over the past few years. There was an exceptionally high price in 2013 and the graph moves upwards from 2011, 2012 and 2013 compared to previous years. It has now gone back to the level of previous years, which is the topic under discussion. The quality payment scheme was the agreement between the IFA and the factory owners and it is important to acknowledge there is some issue that must be sorted as quickly as possible.

The main problem is the reduction in the consumption of beef. In Britain, the reduction amounts to 8% and some of the large multinational stores have seen demand reduced by up to 18%. This means there is a reduction in consumption that does not just affect Ireland. I am glad to note that €500,000 extra is being put in by Bord Bia to market beef and to get people consuming it again. It should be noted that beef prices in Britain are down and there was a bigger gap last year. This is not something exclusive to Ireland. The Minister is not here because he is in the US doing something about the situation. In the last budget, there was investment of €40 million in the beef sector. Actions are being taken and this issue is better addressed by everyone working together rather than by people taking shots at one another.

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