Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have sympathy for the Minister because he is trying to defend the indefensible. The beef industry is under significant economic pressure. This is the first week of July and beef prices have decreased for the third successive week. The Minister has said there will be a time lag before the deal hits us fully. I suppose it will coincide with the date on which we will have to meet the targets under Food Wise 2025. That shows that it will be impossible to meet those targets. Beef producers are annoyed because the European Commission is speaking out of both sides of its mouth. On the one hand, the need to combat climate change means that European beef producers have to meet conditions that will increase the cost of production. On the other, it is proposed to give free access to beef from South America. Farmers believe they have been let down completely by the Commission. It is all the more galling for beef producers because the Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner who is leading the Commission team is an Irishman. Farmers who have been despondent about the returns from beef production for many years believe this is the final nail in the coffin.

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