James Bannon (Fine Gael)

The political responsibility of averting disastrous price reductions this year rests with the Minister and the Government. The Minister has allowed cattle prices to drop to a disastrous level and failed to take action to secure higher prices, despite farmer protests at meat factories. If the Government does not respond to the appalling weather problems encountered by farmers this year, huge numbers of them will be forced out of business. I ask the Minister to initiate a national fodder assessment and provide an aid package for the worst affected farmers. I am dismayed by the lack of effort by the Government to maintain fair minimum prices for agricultural produce. The decline in prices is disastrous for small farmers. There are many flaws in the operation of the beef industry, with factories preventing price increases from being passed back to farmers. There is a yawning gap between the price paid by consumers and that received by farmers. These issues must be addressed by the Government. I hope the Minister will take action.