Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I was on the board of Bord Bia for a number of years. When a market is opened, a target is set in respect of the tonnage of beef expected to be sold in any given timeframe. The beef sector is in crisis. We have to move cattle out of this country. To secure increased prices, we will have to reduce the number of cattle available for slaughter in the next six to 12 months. The onus is on Bord Bia to set a target for the number of live cattle it expects to be moved. My concern is that insufficient resources are being put in place to establish markets. Factories are good at utilising Bord Bia, which is as it should be. We have worked hard to secure routes to markets in various parts of the EU and across the world. However, I am concerned that there is not a similar emphasis on live exports. They are not getting a fair crack of the whip in terms of resources from Bord Bia.

We have increased stock in the country but there is no competition at the ringside. Competition will only come through live exports. I would like to know the level of resources Bord Bia is putting into live exports. I reiterate the need for a target in respect of the number of cattle expected to be exported live in the remainder of 2019.

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