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

I alluded to the BEAM conditionality earlier and the willingness to keep an open mind on it, but I do not recognise at this stage that there has been any adverse impact on the operations of farmers.

My response to the EU response has been quoted out of context. We were in a situation where the EU's initial response was to free up state aid flexibility and after that we were on our own. We contacted every member state to galvanise support for a common approach across Europe and in so far as there is a common approach we welcome that, but we said the extent to which it has been delivered is inadequate and we will continue to work in that regard, particularly in respect of the missing chapter to date, which has been around exceptional aid measures for the livestock sector. That is where we are focused. We will continue to apply maximum pressure in that regard at the next Council of Ministers meeting in the second week of May. We are part of a Common Agricultural Policy and there should be an appropriate response from the Commission to that.

On the issue of Keelings, it has to be said that during the previous recession and in recent years when there were low levels of unemployment, it has been difficult for the company to get workers in the Irish economy, as is the case generally for the horticultural sector. Changes that have been brought in for workers coming into the country. However, the consequences of failing to harvest crops here will be that produce from elsewhere will be on the supermarket shelves. We need to make sure that businesses in the horticultural sector are enabled to harvest their crops.

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