Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The negativity the Minister points out I am expressing is with regard to the PGI in terms of how it can benefit farmers. It is not regarding the bigger picture the Minister is painting. I believe the broad reaction is that this is about them. The reason we can get a PGI is because of their practices but it is not benefiting them. That is where the negativity lies. It is important to point that out.

Regarding the task force, farmers feel they are again being sidelined in the process. Just two weeks ago, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association wrote to the chairman of the beef task force demanding more urgency and expressed its frustration at a lack of engagement on Brexit. Farmers are consistently pointing out low prices and have in the past protested about the prices they are getting compared to UK prices. They are raising concerns that the processors are not holding up their end of the beef sector agreement and are waiting for a response from the Minister's Department.

The task force has been in place for over a year now and practices like the four-movement and 30-months rules and insurance deductions still have not been addressed. Fair prices are in the national interest. We should be protecting those interests, not those of beef barons. Fair prices would keep people on the land, offer the next generation the opportunity to stay on the land and support a rural and social economy. We need a significant change in our response to this.

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