Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I endorse the words of my colleagues, Deputies McConalogue and Cahill, in regard to the serious financial pressures on beef farmers, not only now but for a considerable length of time.

No enterprise can continue if it is producing product that is sold below the cost of production. That is not sustainable for any sector or for any commodity. We rightly use the word "sustainability" in the area of food production. The beef sector that is such a key ingredient of our overall agrifood sector is under serious pressure today. Deputy McConalogue spoke about confidence, as did Deputy Cahill. When there is not confidence in a sector, that necessary investment or commitment can ebb away very quickly.

My party tabled a Private Members' motion in this House in March last. We outlined in detail the issues that needed to be addressed by the Minister and by the Government. Some of them were dealt with to some extent in the agreement reached on Sunday last. We had the area of the 30-month age restriction, the four-month rule, the 70 days' residence. It is time to listen to the eminent Professor Paddy Wall in regard to the age restriction. Thankfully, we are a long time away from the BSE era when those restrictions were quite rightly put in place.

I put questions to the Minister and to the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, in regard to the implementation of the EU Directive on Unfair Trading Practices in the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain. In fairness, the Commissioner, Mr. Hogan, brought that forward, warts and all. It was a step in the right direction but the Minister, Deputy Creed's replies to me indicated no urgency in transposing that EU directive into legislation here. It is another ingredient that would be extremely important in tackling the serious issues confronting the beef sector.

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