Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I concur with what my colleagues stated. Ba mhaith liom cúpla ceist a chur ar na hAirí. Why do the Ministers not listen and why are they reactive rather than proactive? My colleagues and I warned them time and again of impending crisis, including the one we are in now, and they bring it to the wire on every occasion and wait until the horse has bolted to try to do anything.

In March last, my colleagues and I brought forward a motion that included much of what they agreed in their talks over the weekend. If the Minister had listened that time and heeded us, we might not be in the crisis that we are in now.

I met many farmers in west Cork over the summer. They are on their knees. The prices they are getting are not viable. They cannot make a living. As well as that, there is the knock-on effect in respect of workers in the meat factories around the country, one of which is in my home town. Many people have lost their jobs, perhaps temporarily. Many have faced changes in circumstances where they have had to go to Poland. This is a significant loss to the economy of my town of Bandon and I plead with the Ministers to try to sort this crisis out.

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