Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I have had many discussions with many farmers who would prefer to be operating level 3 restrictions and I have no doubt the Deputy's message is the same as mine, which is there is a personal responsibility on everyone to act responsibly for their own health, and for the health of their neighbours and friends, by following social distancing and the public health guidelines in all situations, including outside marts. The personal responsibility is on everyone in this regard. The bottom line is that I have been monitoring this very closely on a daily basis and, on particularly important days, on an hourly basis. Prices have held up strongly and have increased in many instances. Things have operated pretty smoothly since the one Saturday when the livestock platform went down. Volumes are increasing as farmers become more adapted to it, I will bet not without some hardship and inconvenience, but we are at level 5. The prices are holding up, which is the number one priority for farmers.

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