Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I understand that. I am not talking about price fixing but enhancing the industry in order that a better price is returned to the primary producer. There is quite an irony in the Minister stating the rules set it up for the big processors to do very well but not for the farmer to do well. That needs to be examined.

We need to look at specification and supply. When I go to buy a piece of roast or some mince, there is nothing on the packaging to state whether it comes from a U grade or an O grade or whether the animal was aged 30 months or 35 months. The rules and regulations curtail the price that is returned to the farmer and this needs to re-examined quickly.

The new scheme is meant to be a pilot scheme. Is it intended to make it a permanent scheme, one that will be in place in the long term? People are a bit nervous about pilot schemes because they come and go. We want a scheme that is sustainable into the long term. In the budget, the Government found another €1 billion. In that context, a little more could be done to return a better supply of money to the agricultural sector.

See this speech in context