Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Various ownership models have been at play. The co-operative model has previously applied in the meat industry, although now it is entirely privatised. Perhaps it is an issue for consideration and one that farmers and farm organisations could examine to add further competitive pressures to the market in Ireland. I do not see a role for State ownership but there was previous experience of co-operative ownership in the processing sector and it is something that farmers and their representative organisations might wish to revisit. There are plants allegedly for sale. We are led to believe also some plants may not reopen because of the difficulty. There are opportunities there.

The Deputy made a point about the Brexit supports that may be necessary. The industry needs a functioning meat processing sector. No party to the dispute has any beef with that assertion. The supports that are available are provided through various State agencies. In the context of Brexit, it is widely recognised that the agrifood sector will be the most exposed. The UK market accounts for approximately 300,000 tonnes of our exports or more than 50%, with the figures reducing somewhat this year because of market pressures in the UK, exchange rate issues, etc. We have given a commitment that the required levels of support will be available to keep the agrifood sector in a position to navigate the short or medium-term challenges it may face if there is a crash-out Brexit. The exact detail of that has yet to be worked out in the context of any individual industry.

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