Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Deputy Fitzmaurice and I want to discuss a date to reconvene the new beef task force. We are raising this issue today because the inaugural meeting of the task force, due last Monday, did not take place. My understanding is that when representatives of the Beef Plan Movement, the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, INHFA, and Meat Industry Ireland, MII, turned up for the meeting, one of them got in the door but the others did not. The meeting did not take place due to unforeseen circumstances outside Agriculture House. Those unforeseen circumstances have left the beef task force parked. We need to have a date for the start of this process.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

We need clarification on when the beef task force will meet. We all acknowledge that it is not good when people do not get to the table. There is a beef crisis. We cannot just bury our heads in the sand. We know that injunctions have been taken against some people. People were told that if the protests were stood down, the injunctions would be lifted. Can the Minister of State use his influence to help address that situation? In addition, the most important factor is that the farmers' representatives get back to the table and get the task force up and running. Beef is on its knees. We need solutions. We do not need to hear that this, that or the other set us back. We need to make sure that the chairman of the task force takes it by the scruff of the neck and moves it forward. If we listen to the farm leaders, we will not be able to move forward while there are injunctions hanging over people. That needs to be resolved.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputies did not use up all their time. I know Deputy Eugene Murphy has an interest in this matter but, unfortunately, due to Standing Orders only those who tabled the matter can speak.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

He can talk.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

No, I cannot speak but that is alright.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputies will be aware, the inaugural meeting of beef task force scheduled for Monday, 14 October had to be suspended following events outside Agriculture House. Members of the task force were prevented from attending the meeting and were subject to physical violence and intimidation. Members of staff of my Department were also subjected to abusive and threatening behaviour. While I fully support the rights of individuals to engage in peaceful protest, I hope Deputies will agree that there are no excuses for the behaviour which occurred on Monday. It was completely unacceptable. I thank departmental staff who managed the situation in a calm and professional manner.

As I have previously stated, it is in the interests of everyone involved in the beef industry that the work of the task force goes ahead. The independent chair and my Department officials are continuing to consult stakeholders with a view to progressing key elements of the agreement. The task force's remit is to monitor the implementation of the actions arising from the agreement reached on 15 September and offers the most viable platform for strategic engagement with key stakeholders. The agreement involves a number of interventions which will provide immediate benefit for beef producers, as well as a range of strategic measures which seek to address structural imbalances in the sector. Beef producers will benefit from an immediate increase in a range of bonuses. This will increase the level of bonus being paid on certain animals, as well as significantly increasing the number of animals which will be eligible for a bonus. The cumulative effect is that more than 70% of all steer and heifers slaughtered will now be eligible for a bonus on top of the basic price.

A number of actions in the area of market transparency, beef promotion and strengthening the position of the farmer in the supply chain are included in the agreement. These measures set a course towards greater clarity for all stakeholders. The Department is also proactively engaging with several potential beef producer organisations which have the potential to strengthen the bargaining power of beef farmers in the supply chain. Two beef producer organisations have been formally recognised in recent weeks.

We established the beef market task force to provide the leadership to develop a sustainable pathway for the future of the beef sector in terms of economic, environmental and social sustainability. The intention was that the task force should provide a robust implementation structure for commitments entered into in the agreement, with timelines and stakeholder engagement. I urge all parties to make every effort to ensure that this important work can commence.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply but, regrettably, he has not provided what I sought, namely, a date. We all acknowledge the pressure on family farms. The formation of the new beef task force was one of the nuggets of the agreement secured on 15 September which encouraged people to step away from the picket lines. We need a date for when it will reconvene. We all agree that there are many questions to be answered and much work to be done.

What happened last Monday was regrettable on all sides. Nobody could condone it. I am sure I am not the only person who sent out an email advising of the potential for disarray outside Agriculture House. It could have been avoided but it was not. What I am seeking from the Minister of State in the House today is a date.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I, too, thank the Minister of State for his reply. There are a number of issues on which clarification is needed. Where stands the price index promised a month ago? As pointed out by the Minister of State, threatening behaviour serves no purpose and none of us here would agree with it. In regard to the judgments hanging over people's heads, we need a goodwill gesture such as a phone call by the parent company. Someone needs to stand up and be counted.

The Minister of State might indicate how many times it is envisaged that the task force will meet. My understanding of the agreement that was reached is that four months notice is required before weights can be changed. Over the past week, processors have announced different weights and categories. Is this within their remit ? If not, why is this behaviour not being tackled? The chairperson of the task force must show leadership and stand up and be counted. He must ensure that issues are resolved behind the scenes before they get out of hand.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

On the final point made by Deputy Fitzmaurice, the chairman has shown leadership. He and officials from the Department passed through the group outside Agriculture House to meet other farm organisations that had declined the offer to meet him in the Department. He will continue his engagement of bilateral discussions with each stakeholder.

I cannot indicate a date at this point. I wish I could. The issue of injunctions could have been dealt with at the meeting in Agriculture House had members of the task force been allowed in. Rather than preventing them from entering the building, the protestors should have allowed them to be confronted on that issue under the structure of the task force. The issue could, perhaps, have been dealt with as a preliminary to the meeting.

In the context of the proposed number of meetings, there will be as many as is necessary. I do not want to pre-empt the work of the chairman. There are a number of measures that need to addressed but all of them will not necessarily require consideration by the full task force. It may be possible for some of them to be addressed by working groups. However, I am only speculating. There may be a range of meetings that will be led by working groups comprised of members of the task force rather than the full task force.

There is an agreement in place and actions and measures that need to be taken and addressed. I will come back to Deputy Fitzmaurice on the price index because I do not have an answer to hand. These issues should be dealt with through the forum. I appeal to everybody, including those who feel aggrieved at the way they were treated on Monday last in not being allowed to attend the meeting and those who prevented them from doing so, to let this task force set about its work. There have been two meetings already, one in Backweston and the other in Agriculture House. Let the task force get up and running. It is the interests of those of us who are committed to the beef sector to seek progress on all fronts.