Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move:

“That Dáil Éireann:

notes:— that beef and suckler farmers are at their wits’ end, experiencing a severe income crisis, under significant financial stress, and struggling to maintain their livelihoods;

— how utter despair has forced individual farmers to resume protest at factories;

— the determined action by beef farmers in support of the Beef Plan Movement protests over a number of weeks which forced processors to the negotiating table last month;

— how beef prices have slumped downward even further to €3.45 - €3.55 per kilogram, significantly below the cost of production;

— the thousands of staff that have been laid off from meat processing plants;

— farmers’ dependency on direct payments under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for their livelihoods, with average suckler incomes in the region of €8,000 according to Teagasc;

— the low farmer uptake in the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) scheme;

— how half of all Irish beef exports go to the United Kingdom (UK) market, and that a no-deal Brexit represents an existential threat to the viability of beef farming with fully tariffed trade adding up to €800 million in costs, while prices would fall to €2.50 per kilogram;

— that the Government has failed to adequately promote and incentivise the uptake of Producer Organisations (POs) in the beef sector with just one registration greenlighted to date, despite a legal basis for POs established in 2016;

— the Taoiseach’s comments regarding meat consumption have infuriated suckler farmers and undermined State policy to promote Irish beef product in overseas markets;

— the Government did not build sufficient support with European counterparts at European Union (EU) level to prevent increased access of 99,000 tonnes of beef from Mercosur countries in the draft trade agreement; and

— the severe financial difficulties being experienced by knackeries, and the onerous provisions under the fallen animal scheme; andcalls on the Government to:— ensure meat processors return to talks and remove legal threats, while retailers must also attend stakeholder discussions;

— resolve the outstanding issues (fair prices, 30 month age restriction, four movement rule and 70 days residency requirement) with meat processors, retailers and farming organisations;

— work with the European Commission to immediately deliver an emergency crisis fund for beef farmers by using CAP market disturbance aid for price losses suffered since May, and to mitigate a doomsday no-deal Brexit for the sector;

— avail of all avenues to increase live export trade, and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Bord Bia must actively seek out new live export markets for cattle, which acts as a key safety value for the sector;

— ensure complete transparency with respect to market prices in the supply chain and establish a commission of investigation into the beef sector to examine retailer and processor margins;

— introduce a beef market index and require processors to publish weekly price reports;

— immediately commence the process of working towards the introduction of a €200 suckler cow payment;

— strengthen the position of the primary producer in the food supply chain and transpose the EU Directive on Unfair Trading Practices into Irish law swiftly, which should be enforced by an independent national food ombudsman;

— ensure all 2019 CAP payments issue swiftly, including:

— Basic Payment Scheme;

— Green Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS);

— Areas of Natural Constraint payment (ANC);

— Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes (TAMS);

— Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP);

— Sheep Welfare System;

— Knowledge Transfer Programme; and

— Hen Harrier Programme;

— extend the deadline for applications to the BEAM scheme, while making immediate changes to the conditions attached to the scheme, which are overly restrictive and preventing farmers from applying;

— give adequate financial support to establish POs in the beef sector;

— reject any final Mercosur deal, which would undermine EU climate change policy, increase the deforestation of the Amazon and depress prices in Europe;

— examine introducing a farmer’s charter, which processors and retailers would have to obey if they wish to avail of Bord Bia’s Quality Assurance logo;

— commission a full review of the Quality Pricing System (QPS) grid, while working with stakeholders to ensure all animals which come from a quality assured farm receive some level of bonus payment;

— market Irish grass-fed beef as a premium brand to extract an increased return to farmers, while secure Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for our suckler beef at EU level in order to increase its promotional value; and

— provide additional funding to ensure the viability of the knackery industry, while reviewing the fallen animal scheme.”

I wish to share time with Deputies Cahill, Smyth, Troy, Butler and Scanlon.

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