Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to reiterate what has been said by other speakers about the meat industry. The Covid pandemic has certainly highlighted the need for a task force to look at terms and conditions and the whole structure of employment within the industry. It is fair to say that there are very few workers in the meat industry who have not, sooner or later, contracted Covid. The Minister might give us the figures in that regard.

The second issue I want to raise is the fact that last year was a disastrous one for coastal communities. We saw falling prices for shellfish, the impact of the Covid crisis on tourism and also the fact that the environmental schemes are coming, or have come, to an end. The Minister knows my concern about the new environmental scheme. Small operators who earn a living from two or three sources in the west of Ireland need income support and they need it urgently.

I would like to address the issue of fishing. The reality is that the fishing industry was thrown under the bus by the European Union at the last minute in the Brexit talks. I hear people saying that the deal that was done was better than a no-deal arrangement, but a good fishing deal would have been a hell of a lot better than a bad fishing deal. I do not think there was ever any question of a no-deal arrangement. It was always going to be sorted out at the eleventh hour, on the last day. Fishermen do not want to get paid to tie up boats; they want to fish. The industry is in crisis. The Minister knows the problems in the shellfish industry and I have raised them with him time and again. For example, the price of oysters, which are a delicacy and have to be sold fresh, has gone from something like €9 per kilogram down to €2. It is a major crisis and the industry is not viable at the moment.

Finally, I have to agree with Deputy Gannon regarding piers. In his response, the Minister said that a lot of money had been given to pier projects. In fact, what has been given would not wet one's tongue. Surveys have been done of piers around the country - I funded one 20 years ago - and there is an incredible number of small piers used by the people who operate out of what we call currachs, that is, small open boats. They are the backbone of the lobster, crab and other shellfish industries. In a context where billions have been spent on big developments around the country, including the Luas, DART and so on, we need the funding for piers to be substantially increased. In particular, Ros an Mhíl must get on the agenda this year.

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