Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I can assure Deputy Cairns I am absolutely committed to doing everything I can as Minister to support our farmers and support a fair income for them. That is why I worked strongly with the beef task force and the farming organisations to move the PGI forward. That is obviously something we must get approval for at European level and then ensure, in time, that we work to have it benefit farmers.

It is also why for the first time, through that beef task force, I have also secured and allocated €6 million, specifically, to develop a suckler beef brand, which I believe is important in trying to better promote our suckler beef sector. I also point the Deputy to the most recent budget where I secured an 11% increase over last year's budget, specifically to go towards farmers and to support schemes which underpin their income. That was significant and widely welcomed for them as well.

Another key initiative I have as Minister is to introduce a food ombudsman to try to bring more price transparency into the food supply chain to ensure a mechanism is in place where we can trace what is happening in international markets where our produce is being sold to try to ensure the price is being delivered back to farmers at farm gate level.

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