Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is timely, if unfortunate, that we find ourselves debating this Bill this evening. The Minister outlined some of the key aspects of the Bill and the complexity involved in so many of the areas covered by it. I will focus on agriculture, which is not directly affected by the Bill but is equally complex in terms of the issues thrown up by the threat of a hard Brexit and requires as much clarity in our preparations as do those areas covered by the Bill. As the Minister is aware, of all the sectors of the Irish economy to which the threat of a hard Brexit poses a massive risk, agriculture is head and shoulders above the rest in terms of its level of exposure. While 17% of our total national exports are destined for the UK, the figure for the agriculture sector last year was 38%. There are some areas within agriculture that are massively exposed. It has been well rehearsed at this stage in terms of how the beef sector in particular is exposed. Half of our beef exports go to the UK. Certain areas in the dairy sector, particularly cheddar, are exposed. Other affected areas include the pigmeat and horticulture sectors. The impact on horticulture has been felt for a year and a half. The initial fluctuations in the value of sterling whacked that sector and put some operators out of business.

It is crucial that as much clarity as possible is brought to bear on preparedness and the mitigation measures that will be in place in the event of a hard Brexit.

We all look with great attention at the day-to-day developments in Westminster and my own assessment, and that of most people, is that it is still unlikely there will be a hard Brexit. However, we have to ensure we have every possible measure in place in the event it does happen. In regard to agriculture, unfortunately, the clarity has not been there to the extent that should be possible. The Government has not ensured the sector is as prepared or as clear as it could be in terms of the supports that will be in place if a hard Brexit happens on 29 March.

With my colleagues on our agriculture team, Deputies Cahill and Aylward and Senator Paul Daly, and on our Brexit team, Deputies Haughey and Chambers, since it became clear the UK was on a certain course, I have consistently asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what exactly the Government is doing to try to help the agriculture sector. Since budget 2018 was announced in October 2017, the Minister's standard response, which he has used to reassure us in regard to how the Government was taking this seriously, is that significant funding has been put aside to bring in a Brexit loan scheme specifically tailored and designed to equip the agriculture sector, and farmers in particular, to deal with and prepare for Brexit. Where are we today in regard to that scheme? It still has not been launched and we still have not seen the detail of it. Going back over 18 months, that was the stock answer from the Minister to reassure us in terms of how seriously the Department was taking its responsibility to work with the sector and prepare it as best it could. However, it is still nowhere to be seen.

Unfortunately, that is reflective of the overall approach we have seen from the Government in regard to agriculture. Instead of hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Government have majored in hoping for the best but they have not paid the attention they should to preparing for the worst. We saw this displayed at the Cabinet meeting in July last at the Daniel O'Connell homestead in Derrynane, after which the Government made the big bang announcement that there was no need to worry, that it was totally in control and that it would hire 1,000 officers in order to be prepared for the eventuality of a hard Brexit. Some 700 of that 1,000 round figure were to be customs officers and 300 were to be sanitary and phytosanitary, or SPS, veterinary officials. Fast forward to October, three months after the initial big announcement, and the figure of 300 SPS veterinary officials was downgraded, with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine outlining that all we would need was 116. As of today, and having queried the Minister in recent weeks in regard to how many of those officials would be hired and in place for the end of March, when they might be needed, there has been no answer. He could not tell us because they have not been hired.

In the last couple of days, what we have seen in the media from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is that it is now putting out a tender call to the private veterinary sector, calling for people within that sector to make an application or an expression of interest to the Department as to their preparedness and willingness to take up the role of inspector officers at entry points into the State at the end of March, should they be needed. While the Government was telling us it had it all under control, this week we see it is outsourcing it to the private sector and to the veterinary community, and expecting them to come forward with an expression of interest, with just 31 days to go to Brexit. Of course, the veterinary profession is already under massive pressure in regard to resources and is exceptionally stretched, and the end of March is the busiest time of year for veterinary practices and professionals across the country. I severely doubt the Government will get the required level of response to fill those roles in the event of a hard Brexit. No doubt, the Government will tell us it has this covered because it has the tender out, and it will hope for the best again and hope it will not be needed - the default position. However, if it is, I doubt this will be in place, given that the level of consultation with the veterinary profession has been very limited.

The other key thing we need to see, and which we have not seen, is certainty with regard to the level of support that will be in place in the event of a hard Brexit for the beef sector, the dairy sector and the agrifood sector. When the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is cornered and put under pressure as to what exactly will be done, he tells us not to worry and says hundreds of millions of euro will be available, but that is as far as it goes. There is no certainty. We saw the UK environment Secretary, Michael Gove, last week outline what might happen there, particularly in regard to beef, where a tariff-free quota would be allowed up to the level of tonnage that would be required to make up for the UK's lack of self-sufficiency. Again, there is no clarity as to the response from the Irish Government in terms of what will be in place in the event that our sector needs to be supported, given it is already under massive pressure.

My clear message is that the Government needs to step up to the mark in terms of communicating what it is going to do in regard to agriculture and the supports that will be in place should they be required, although we all hope they will not be. The Government and Members on all sides of the House are resolute in terms of working together to try to achieve that objective but we need to ensure the supports are in place, and that they will be communicated in advance to try to protect what is our largest indigenous sector, which is essential to the economy of the nation, in particular rural Ireland.

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