Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing my time with my colleagues and we will all take two minutes each.

The Taoiseach recently indicated that he wants to eat less beef but beef has been a regular feature on the menu in the Chamber in the past two weeks - twice last week and again today. That is only right considering the very difficult position farmers find themselves in, the unacceptable incomes they receive and the low prices they are taking for their beef. I commend the Rural Independent Group on tabling this motion, which the Fianna Fáil Party supports. Given the stand farmers have taken for the past eight weeks, out of pure desperation and frustration at the way they have been treated in the beef and food supply chain in recent years, it is essential that the agreement that was signed and which led to the removal of protests and pickets across the country is acted upon urgently and immediately. A key aspect of that is the beef task force, which must be established promptly and a chairman appointed in order that it can carry out its work and deliver results. It is essential that transparency, which has previously been lacking, is brought into the Irish beef sector because farmers cannot see what level of fair play they are or are not getting. They have not been getting fair play and have been repeatedly forced to take price drops while all other players in the sector have been able to maintain their margins. It is also essential that specifications such as the 30-month rule, the four-movement rule and the 60-day residency are thoroughly examined. Those issues have been clouding the sector and the task force must address them. The Government's contribution must include a new support scheme to follow on from the beef exceptional aid measure, BEAM, scheme. Issues with the BEAM scheme also need to be addressed, but we need a support scheme to support farmers in response to the losses they have suffered since May. That is something the Government needs to act upon and deliver.

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