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

As a follow on to my earlier contribution, I recall one very late and cold night protesting with others at the gates of the factory in Bandon, and also above in Limerick. Having listened to those people and taken away conversations we had that night with the producers of beef, I have a fair question to ask the Minister. There is no harm in asking this question. He is bound to have an opinion and I would love to hear his answer to it. Does he have confidence in the system we have in Ireland today of price setting - I will not call it price-fixing, but maybe I should - the price of beef? Does he have confidence in how that price is arrived at every week, every fortnight, and every month? Given the price a farmer gets for a kilo of beef at the factory, after working hard to produce it and to bring it to the stage of slaughtering, does he have confidence in that system and confidence in the price? Does he believe it to be fair and equitable? He is the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. He is the person at the forefront of agriculture in Ireland. A lot of people seem to forget, and many politicians here seem to forget, that we are still predominantly an agriculture-based economy. We very much appreciate the foreign investment that comes into this country and we appreciate very much our tourism industry but we very much appreciate our family farms and all types of farms, be they large, small or medium. Does the Minister have confidence in the structures we have at present? If he does, I would like to hear him say that he does. If he does not, I would like him to say he does not, and why. We also ask this question in behalf of the Irish Farmers' Association. I am a fully paid-up member of the IFA, and have been since I was 18 years of age. I will continue to be a paid-up member. I ask the Minister this question on behalf of the IFA and other organisations because I know they would like to hear his answer. I definitely know that the beef producers of Ireland and the farmers of Ireland would like to hear his answer. I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for his indulgence.

See this speech in context