Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Minister of State's answer, but farmers out there do not believe that this decision was good for the industry. This group has stopped live exports to the UK being economically viable. We cannot get quality assurance for our cattle in the UK to have these Irish forward stores slaughtered there. This group has purchased a significant number of calves in the last few years in this country to rear them so that it will control the market from start to finish. Every decision the group is taking shows it is looking for a monopoly within the industry. Unfortunately, this is being allowed to happen. How much of Bord Bia's budget is being spent on securing live exports? As I mentioned, the fact that we cannot get our forward stores into the UK on a level playing field is a huge detriment to the marketplace. While I accept that the Minister is trying to get extra outlets for our cattle, by this decision we have allowed an independent player to be taken out of the industry. In addition, this group controls the rendering industry in the country, has a controlling interest in that sector and the large amount of tonnage and offal created by beef processing and can control the number of cattle killed on a given week. It is inconceivable that this one group can be allowed to control the marketplace to such an extent.

As I said, figures produced last week have shown that since 2010, €78 million has been taken by the beef grid out of farmers' pockets. We were promised when the beef grid was introduced in 2010 that it would be cost-neutral, but all the analysis now shows that the beef grid costs farmers roughly €20 million per year. As I said earlier, we have had the beef forum and its recommendations, but none of those recommendations, which would be beneficial to the primary producer, has been implemented. As a matter of urgency, the beef grid needs to be reviewed and the age and weight restrictions reconsidered, as the beef forum recommended. It is absolutely imperative that the sanctions against our forward stores in the UK are lifted and that we get a level playing field, irrespective of the British decision to leave the EU.

See this speech in context