Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend Deputy Carol Nolan and the Rural Independent Group for bringing forward the debate. Since I was elected in 2016, I have been involved in discussions around the whole issue of beef farming, the beef sector and the suckler sector, which are at the core of Irish farming and the family farm. All of us know the food we produce in Ireland is of world-class standard, from the family farm and from grass-fed, free-roaming animals, traceable from farm to fork. It is unique in that respect. Yet, the farmer, the person who puts in all the effort, gets the least reward. That is something that has jarred, not just with the farming community, but with the general community for many years. People want to see the farmer, the primary producer, getting a fair deal.

This motion focuses on the whole idea of a food ombudsman and a regulator - somebody to ensure the factories and supermarkets are held to account, which is vital and needs to happen as quickly as possible. However, we also need a fair deal and a restructuring of the process to take place. The whole system needs to be turned around so we can provide a proper income for Irish farmers which reflects the unique product they produce, particularly in the beef sector.

We also, of course, have the issue of CAP and the problems around all of that. What we can see coming down the road is that Irish farmers in particular are losing out, which should not be happening given the position of the agricultural sector and the vital role it continues to play, not just for the farming community, but for the wider community. As has been said by others, when the Irish farmer is prosperous the rural community is vibrant. That is what we need to put centre stage in all of this. We have to make the Irish farmer prosperous. We have to ensure that small family farms can be viable into the future and they will not be viable if they do not receive a fair price for their produce. Getting a fair price for their produce is the core of what we need to do. There are other issues which need to be dealt with and they can be dealt with in another setting, but getting that fair price requires the Government to hold the beef industry to account.

That is not to say the Government has a direct role in setting prices, and we all understand that cannot happen. However, it has a role in ensuring the industry is fair, works for everybody and provides for the farming sector. Putting a proper regulator in place which not just monitors the situation, but actually has the power to go in and ensure penalties can be put in place where unfair practices are happening, is vital.

The issue is not just in regard to providing for CAP and all of those issues; the issue is centrally with the Government. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is not just the Minister for the food processing sector, but is the Minister for the primary producer as well, and he has to stand up and defend the primary producer. That has failed to happen and continually fails to happen. I hope that, as we move forward from this debate, the Minister will step up to the plate and recognise that this is his role, and that he will deliver for the Irish farming sector.

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