Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Deputy McNamara will speak on the same matter. Level 5 is to come in tonight. I wish to make a plea with the Taoiseach in respect of the livestock sector, where the weanling calves are coming on market in large numbers.

In fairness, over the past few months all the marts have run the show online but also ensured that people on site practised safe social distancing. There is now a situation whereby broadband has become a major problem and has broken down at several marts. At least when there was social distancing, there would only have been approximately 25 people in the whole area of a mart when cattle were being brought in. Will the Taoiseach please look at that matter this evening? It will be detrimental to the trade in weanlings and to our exports if this matter is not looked at before tonight. People will not be able to be near the rings in marts, something that was done in a safe manner up to now. There was 2 m distancing as well as the online option. This morning, approximately 20 marts are experiencing trouble with their broadband connections and it will be at least a month before this is resolved.

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