Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The fundamental priority must be to re-engage with all of the major stakeholders such that we can bring this crisis to a conclusion. It is clear that unless a mechanism can be found which permits the raising of the base price for beef, this issue will be prolonged with devastating consequences. To date, the consequences have been worsening. There is too much on the line and too many jobs, families' income and lives at stake for rural Ireland to allow this issue to drag on. Now that the Beef Plan Movement has been approved as a producer organisation, there is no reason a commitment could not be given.

There must be an immediate end to the threats of legal action by Meat Industry Ireland, MII, which have begun to re-emerge. Another day has been wasted. There were developments on Sunday evening. Today is Wednesday and the Government is out the gap again. It is making no move to re-engage with independent farmers and various other groups to try to get a base price somewhere along the line. Given that the Beef Plan Movement has been approved as a producer organisation, one can no longer say that the base price cannot be discussed.

I support the motion tabled by Fianna Fáil. The Government is dragging its feet. It stayed away from the table for too long. Now that it has been to the table, it should engage and try to get the people who have lost their jobs and been displaced by the reckless meat industry back into work and production to ensure that no further damage is done to the products on shop shelves here or our exports.

This is a crisis. Where are the Fine Gael backbenchers for the debate of this motion? They are not here. They must not be interested. It does not bother them. By hell, it will bother them at election time because they will get it in the neck. Fine Gael is supposed to be looking after the big farmers, but is not looking after any farmers. It has lost its way and has a Dublin-centric Cabinet which does not care about rural Ireland. The Taoiseach stated that he would eat less beef because it is carcinogenic and because of climate change. What else could we expect from the Government while he is its leader? It was a disgraceful thing for him to say and it shows the inertia at Cabinet level in regard to doing anything about this crisis or for the farmers on the picket line. There is no semblance of movement by the Government. The Ministers need to get off their you-know-whats, talk to the people and get this crisis sorted out because it is drifting on and on. We might as well have no Government as the likes of this one.

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