Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is an important issue and I am delighted it is the first priority question. I will answer the Deputy's last point first. We are looking at every option but, pardon the pun, the bar to qualify for the BAR, the Brexit adjustment reserve, is very high. You have to prove a direct link to the impact from Brexit.

The Deputy's earlier point was about markets. As Minister of State with responsibility for new market development, we have made huge strides in making sure we continue to gain more access to more markets around the world and increased access in the markets we are in. Last year, we gained access to the US market. I will be in Washington in May to look at progressing further how we build relationships with key customers across the sector. We have important markets like China where we continue to do important work on increasing access. Markets are a key priority for us. We can talk about all the schemes we want but, ultimately, sheep farmers want to be paid a top price for their product, which they deserve and for which we continue to strive in the Department.

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