Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am disappointed the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is not here. I understand the Minister is in Africa but I am surprised the Minister of State is not here. We were told that one of the reforms of the Dáil which would take place would be that Ministers or Ministers of State, where relevant, would be present in the House.

A year ago, there was huge concern in the beef industry about the price differential being achieved between British and Irish cattle on the British market. We had farmers outside the factory gates. Eventually, in response to this, the Minister set up the beef forum. A year on, to use an appropriate metaphor considering the Minister is in Africa, the beef forum has turned out to be a toothless tiger. It has had no significant effect on the massive problems that beset the beef trade.

Significant allegations were made by a significant farming organisation during the week. It believes there is a conscious policy by one of the major meat groups that operates not only in this country but also in Britain to try to block the sale of young cattle for finishing in Britain by saying they could not be marketed in Britain as British and would, therefore, have to be significantly discounted. When we look at the price comparisons between this year and last year, it is significant that the price of beef has increased by approximately 70 cents per kilo while the equivalent Irish price has only increased by approximately 10 cents to 15 cents. Last autumn, the price differential was 70 cents. This year it is 110 cents.

The second part to this matter is the total failure of the Department to deal with the price issue relating to vegetables. I thought the Minister of State with responsibility for horticulture, a colleague of the Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, would be here today. I have been calling on him to stop standing back and allowing the supermarkets force the horticulture industry into a precarious situation. The supermarkets are, effectively, dumping food onto the market by selling it at absolutely ridiculous prices, prices at which no farmer can produce the produce. This happened in 2013.

There was some co-operation by the Minister's party and the Government last year to try to persuade the various parties that it should not happen again. Will the Minister of State make a public statement today that the Government believes it is unacceptable for any supermarket chain to engage in a similar practice again this year? Will the Government state that the horticulture industry is in important one not only to those involved in it but to Irish people in general because they want an Irish horticulture industry? Will the Government state that it believes it would be wrong of the supermarkets to try to destroy the industry through totally uneconomic pricing?

Will the Minister of State address these issues? I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for affording me the opportunity to speak on them today.

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