Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies. I accept that clarity as quickly as possible is important. Farmers are making decisions about the situation in which they find themselves. Every pig that leaves a farm at the moment is losing the farmer a significant amount of money, and that is increasing by the day. I am very much aware of the situation and have been liaising very closely with the sector for a significant period of time. The €7 billion scheme announced three or four weeks ago just before the war in Ukraine equates to €20,000 per farmer. The ongoing travesty in Ukraine has had significant implications for all sectors, in particular the agrifood sector, of which the pig sector is undoubtedly the part most affected.

I will meet the IFA and farmers later today Let us be clear. The ask from the IFA of the Government is massive, namely €100 million up front. In terms of the €7 million scheme I launched, the 350 commercial pig units concerned would seem to translate into 240 individual undertakings, and €100 million would equate to €420,000 per undertaking. If €50 million was covered by the State and €50 million by levies, that would amount to €210,000 in State contributions, with €210,000 to be paid back under the proposal in a levy over ten years or so. That is the nature of the ask, and it is massive.

I am very much aware of the pressures on the sector. The Deputies are correct. It is a sustainable and valuable industry, the third largest within our agrifood sector. We want to ensure it is there for the future. I am very much aware of how acute the bottom of the hole sector finds itself in is at the moment. I will work and engage with farmers on how I can work with them to support the sector through this. I again thank Deputies O' Sullivan and Carthy and the many other Deputies who raised this issue with me in recent days.

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