Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I heard that at the time but we have the commissionership now and Mr. Hogan needs to plough ahead with that to look for reforms.

Farming is a crucial part of the economy of my own county. There are 3,300 farms which generate an annual output of €200 million. There is a great deal of off-the-farm income and industry related to this.

We have a great deal of off-the-farm income and industry related to this. In a county with a small industrial base, there are 1,400 people working directly in the food and drink sector. That is to be welcomed. I hope we can improve on that.

The prices being paid to farmers for their produce is the big issue in this debate. The Fianna Fáil motion refers to the manner in which farmers are being treated by large retailers and processors. This issue, which has been well rehearsed, is clearly a problem. Retailers and producers are using their muscle to force farmers to accept lower prices for a range of produce. Not too long ago, I saw a piece of roast beef that a woman had bought in a shop for her Sunday roast. The farmers are getting between €3 and €4 a kilo, but she had paid multiples of that. I understand there is a cost in processing, but I suggest that in-between processors like Dawn Meats are creaming it off and making it. This is totally unacceptable. Deputy Martin Ferris has asked the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine to hold hearings on the matter. I hope those hearings take place. Similarly, I hope progress can be made on the issue of beef prices.

I would like to mention another issue that is relevant at this time of year. We should not have a repeat of the fodder crisis, given that it was a really good year for silage and crops. We have had severe weather events in recent years. We had a small taste of it last weekend. I hope similar weather events do not cause severe hardship again this winter. We welcomed the Department's efforts last year to address these problems in co-operation with the Minister and the Department in the North. Those efforts were aimed at ensuring the maximum efforts were deployed to alleviate some of the more severe cases that arose. In the aftermath of last year's crisis, we proposed that a sub-committee be established within the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with the input of other Departments as necessary, to draw up a contingency plan. Has that happened? Such a plan would be valuable if another fodder crisis or some other difficulty were to be caused by severe weather events. Are contingency measures in place? The Minister might give us an update on what is happening in that regard.

I was reading lately that Teagasc has estimated that one third of all stand-alone farms are not viable. This problem was also mentioned by the Minister in the debate. I listened carefully to what he had to say about the importance of the family farm. No one would disagree with that. We want to ensure farms are viable in order that as many people as possible are on the land producing quality food for a quality industry. We know the importance of it. The fact that 90% of beef is exported means it is a great cash earner for the State. We must do everything possible to deal with this issue in support of that. I meet many farmers when they come into my clinics to talk about these matters. I know that the activities of many beef farmers would not be viable without the cheque in the post. They sometimes have to eat into the cheque in the post to cover farming expenses. That is not sustainable. The price of beef must be increased. I implore the Minister to work with his EU colleagues and with the new Commissioner, the former Minister, Phil Hogan, to push this agenda. The power of the large processors and retailers must be curtailed. It has to be broken. Farmers need to be getting a guaranteed fair price for their produce. That is all they ask. I hope we can achieve that.

See this speech in context