Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy's point is very well reflected in the report by Tom Moran, the former Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, in particular on the dairy side but also the labour issues inside the farm gate. One point he made is that a transition is required from farmers who have traditionally worked on their own to being employers, particularly those who have expanded substantially on the dairy side. That brings a host of additional challenges. Recruitment is one but retention is another. There is a host of issues around retention. It has to do with salaries but other issues too including terms and conditions of employment that the expanding dairy sector needs to grapple with. There is a lot going on in that area but it is not just the dairy industry and pay is but one element of that.

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