Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I note that the Minister did not answer my question about beef imports. That is the point I am making. I understand the broader issue very well. As the Minister knows, the United Kingdom is not a net exporter of beef. Ireland is a net exporter. We export nine out of ten animals, yet we are importing beef. What is the justification for that? I do not believe there is one.

There is a lack of equitable support from the European Commission. That is something the Minister has acknowledged and a weakness that I have identified. Can the Minister redouble efforts to ensure, at a minimum, that those regulations that restrict the payment of EU supports until October are amended this year to ensure we get income support to farmers much earlier in the year and also secure an additional tranche of funding for the income losses arising from Covid-19 and Brexit?

See this speech in context