Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I again make the point that much of what was contained in Fianna Fáil's Private Members' motion early this year has now found its way into the agreement that was discussed this week. It seems that a lot of time was lost and a lot of resentment and frustration was allowed to build up within the beef farming sector before people got down to work and began to engage. That is a great pity because fundamentally it is a question of fair prices. I believe in food security. I also believe that a country like Ireland needs to retain key sectors such as the beef sector, have a diversity of food supply in our country and contribute to Europe. I fundamentally believe that. To ensure that happens, however, a greater weight has to be given to the primary producer. The role of the primary producer has been eroded for some time now.

That issue is at the heart of this crisis and needs to be redressed. Some of the agreement's proposals have merit, but they could have been initiated well over one or two years ago, for example, those relating to the task force, the price index and so on. These are measures for which we have been advocating for quite some time-----

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