Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We need to give the agrifood regulator teeth to investigate certain rules that apply at meat factories, such as the four-movement rule. My contention and that of all the farmers is that the four-movement rule is unfair, as is the 30-month rule whereby farmers are penalised when cattle are more than 30 months of age by the time they go to the factory. I have been raising these issues for many years. When a carcass is hanging off the rafters, how do you know what age that animal was? That rule is totally unfair, as is the four-movement rule. The factories need to be challenged about those two issues. They need to be made to give an explanation. I firmly believe they would get the same price for beef that does not comply with these rules as they get for beef that is under 30 months or for the cattle that do not go over the four movements. We need to get an honest answer to that because farmers are being penalised unfairly.

The other aspect affecting farmers in regard to beef relates to cases where an animal is not the right colour. The right colour at the present time is a gold or white Charolais or a red Limousin. An animal can be equally good if it is a grey Charolais or a black Limousin. According to the farmers, and I believe them, there is no reason cattle of the same weight or the same quality should not make the same price. That needs to be investigated because farmers are suffering because of colour. That is very unfair.

We need to give the regulator the powers to follow up these matters because this is the difference between a producer making a few bob or not doing so. There are inconsistencies that need to be investigated. If this regulator is going to be worth his salary, he needs to have powers to follow up those matters. To me and to many others, these issues do not make any sense. The rules or ideals that they seem to be following are hurting farmers and producers. When people have the steak on their plate or a bit of boiling beef in the pot, I do not believe they know what colour the skin of the animal was before it was slaughtered. Fairness needs to be seen to be carried out in this regard.

There are many other issues that need to be questioned. I am still asking at this late stage why the cost of green diesel has not come down. I ask the Minister to follow that up because so many farmers cannot understand why it is double the cost of what it should be.

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