Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge that the Minister has engaged with me behind the scenes as we attempted to get some type of settlement for this situation. It is very important that I put that on the public record this evening. However, as far as I am concerned, the game is up in terms of the farmers being promised a fair deal on the extraordinarily good product they produce in the way they rear their cattle. This is why people are holding out. While I acknowledge that there are some very good things in what has been put on the table, I will make one plea to the Minister and the processors this evening. I urge them to meet the beef plan people again. This problem can be solved with a little bit of understanding from both sides. Everybody wants it solved. People have spoken about the farmers. There are workers and their families living in desperation as to where this is going. A young man with borrowings and leasings of almost €200,000 on a couple of Scania trucks told me that if this continues for another two weeks, all the business he was getting out of the factories will be gone. A lot of people are affected by this and many of them are very worried. We have to make every attempt to get this over the line. I appeal to those processors who are listening this evening to move one little bit. We can do this. We can get further discussions going behind the scenes. I am confident we can get this sorted out in 48 hours. Many people are troubled and upset. We owe it to those in the farming community who are producing an outstanding product to give them a little leeway. Trust is gone and it has to be rebuilt in the farming sector, or else we are going nowhere. I appeal to the Minister to get those people to take one more step to get this over the line. I believe we can have a settlement on this matter.

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