Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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29. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to respond to the crisis in the marts sector; and his plans for the safe return of physical marts. [33596/20]

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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36. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures that will be taken to ensure that farmers' marts nationally can access adequate Internet infrastructure to allow their online sales to proceed to abide by Covid-19 restrictions (details supplied). [33305/20]

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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In the past hour or two, I turned 31. I say this because, for one, it is ridiculous that we are consistently keeping staff here past midnight.

I have a birthday wish, which is for a small bit of cop-on in regard to marts. I am wondering what the Minister's plans are to respond to the crisis in the sector. Given all the issues arising over online sales, could the Minister make plans to reopen physical marts?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 36 together.

I wish Deputy Cairns a happy birthday. I hope she finds a way to celebrate it in later years other than the way we are celebrating it tonight. I hope the day ahead finishes better than the way it is starting, that is, here in the Chamber. I thank the staff for being here with us. I take the Deputy's point on the late hour at which we are here.

As Deputy Cairns knows, the Department has adapted the conditions under which marts have had to operate since April to reflect various measures introduced by the Government to stop the spread of Covid-19 and to allow marts to remain operational throughout the Covid crisis. From April to 8 June, marts operated without public attendance at sales rings in that they were able to conduct transactions online or facilitate broking. Over the course of the summer, we have seen the introduction of online sales and they have started to work better and become a very positive aspect of operations. On 19 October, the Taoiseach announced the country was to move to level 5 and that marts would be operated online only, albeit with buyers being able to view cattle and other livestock in advance of sales, by appointment.

By and large, given the way marts have operated, the volume going through them and the prices received by farmers, there have been many positive outcomes. It has been a challenging experience for both marts and farmers. While many have got used to operating online over the summer, many have not. There is no doubt that a blended approach to sales is the way forward and the way to which the system will revert. We would all like to see this occur in due course. We are, however, in level 5, and the priority is public health. Marts now have the opportunity to operate online whereas in the earlier part of the pandemic restrictions period, that opportunity was not available.

Let me give some feedback on how the system has been operating. We went to level 5 on 21 October. From 19 October to 31 October, the cattle throughput in marts amounted to 88,000. This compared to 93,000 in the corresponding period in 2019. It amounts to 94% of the volume in the corresponding period in 2019. The number of marts operating during the period of level 5 restrictions is the same as that operating at the same time last year. According to the mart reports from the Irish Independentfarming section today and the Irish Farmers Journal, and the feedback from mart managers, prices are holding up. They are up in certain categories. While the blended option will, without a doubt, be the way of the future and while it is the optimal approach, considering that we are subject to level 5 restrictions, we should note that if the online platforms were down and only a small number of people — 20, for example — were allowed around the ring, it would have a very significant impact on competition in the affected marts. This is because the experience has been that while online operations have been challenging for some, they have meant that many have been able to get involved in auctions. That is why we are seeing prices hold up and, indeed, increase in some ways.

I acknowledge that the circumstances are really challenging and I understand the difficulties farmers have. I understand the challenges that mart managers have faced in adapting but, apart from Saturday week last, when 16 marts were affected when the online platform went down for over two hours, albeit with only four sales cancelled, the system has been continuing to improve. We are now seeing an increase in volumes and confidence.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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I acknowledge that online mart sales have been in operation since early April and that hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep have been bought and sold successfully through the various online platforms. It it is simply not feasible, however, to expect farmers to go online instead of to the mart when doing so is an essential part of essential work and when some simply do not have good broadband.

We understand and agree, as do all farmers, that public health is the priority. Nobody is disputing that. I take the Minister's word about prices holding up but given that farmers have to attend marts and simply cannot operate online, will he consider steps that could be taken to reopen the marts safely? The Government's broadband plan identifies that 40% of marts have poor broadband services that require upgrading. We are aware that many farms do not have broadband. How does the Minister expect the system to work for people who just cannot access broadband? For the reasons I have described, could the Minister look into reopening the marts safely? I agree with him that public health has to be the priority but could we look into this again?

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for outlining the situation. The Livestock Live online bidding system, LSL, has not been fit for purpose so far this month. Back in April and May, when there were blended sales and people in the ring, the system was not under as much pressure but on Saturday, 24 October, the system crashed for about two hours at Sixmilebridge mart, with the result that many of the cattle already in pens in the back yard had to be loaded back onto trailers and returned to their home farms. There was consternation in the marts and considerable anger and frustration among farmers. The mart manager told me that if he were given a green light to separate farmers and bidders, on the basis of a 2 m distance, he could probably fit 28 in the ring. People will really only buy cattle when they can see them in the flesh, as the Minister said. That is what results in the best trading. I understand we are in level 5 but the situation needs to be kept fluid and under review.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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On Sixmilebridge mart, which Deputy Crowe raised with me before, I believe it did manage to finish its sale last Saturday. With regard to marts' sales in general online, the clearance rates have been very high and very much in line with traditional mart clearance rates. They are certainly very similar.

On Deputy Cairns's point, I am certainly monitoring the position very closely. I have been talking to farmers, from north Donegal right down to south Kerry, about their experiences and I have also been liaising with mart managers. As I said in the Dáil earlier, the most important thing for farmers is the price. The feedback is that prices have been holding up. While some have been reluctant to go to the mart, we have seen an improvement in this regard and an increase in volumes. The experience for sellers has been a good one.

It has been more challenging for buyers because not everyone is adept at buying online, although many are adjusting. I admit it is not ideal. I am monitoring it closely. Everybody deserves credit for how it has operated.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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What is the status of actions the Minister is taking as a result of the High Court ruling that overturned Policy Directive 1 of 2019 and will an external review of the consultation process-----

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Deputy, we are still on the same question. The Deputy has one minute remaining, as has Deputy Crowe.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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Apologies, I thought we had come to the end of it.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I know it is early in the morning now.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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It comes back to the same issue. I completely accept everything the Minister said on how it is working, the prices and all of those aspects, but that does not address the question I asked originally and asked in the second round, namely, what do people, who cannot access broadband and do not have access to it on their farm, do. There is no solution for those people. Given that is the situation, will the Minister examine the reopening of marts in a different way that is safer and can prioritise public health but also allow everybody to take part? As he acknowledged, it is an essential service. It is an essential part of essential work that some people cannot take part in due to restrictions they cannot control if they cannot access broadband.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. The mart in Sixmilebridge continued and some sales took place, including the sale of my uncles’s yearlings, but too many animals went home in trailers. Many rural farms in Clare do not have a broadband connection, and for those that have it, the connection is rather slow. Given the age demographic of the farmers going to marts, I am sure they will forgive me for saying they would not be adept at going out to their jeeps and bidding on their tablets or iPhones. That would not come too easily to them. The only true way forward, and it is to be hoped we will get there quickly, is a blended sale format where 20 or 25 people can be in the ring and others can be sitting outside in their jeeps bidding as well. That is where we will find the real market price being struck.

Many farmers are budgeting their food rations, silage and hay for the winter. There is a very small window of time during which they want to sell these animals so that they do not end up bringing them into a slatted shed, with those animals further eating into their planned food rations. I hope it is a fluid situation. The guidelines on Covid must be adhered to, but it is to be hoped this issue can be revisited. I thank the Minister for giving of his time tonight.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputies Cairns and Crowe for raising this issue. We should acknowledge that being able to bid online in the safety of their home and not having to go out has been welcome for some farmers. There is no doubt there have been challenges for those who do not have Internet access. Compared with the situation in March and April where online transactions were not available and we had a bidding and tendering process for stock, the situation now is much more preferable. That tendering option is still available for farmers who do not have Internet access and they can work with their mart managers to try to facilitate them. I know some are doing that. I accept it is challenging. There are inconveniences there.

Regarding the sales, the clearances are very good and the prices are holding up from a seller’s point of view, but it is challenging from a buyer’s point of view. It is a reflection of the fact we are in level 5 and the national challenge we face in dealing with the pandemic. I will continue to keep the matter under very close review and I take on board what the Deputies have said.