Eamon Scanlon (Fianna Fail)

I do not agree with him in public too often. However, he raised the issue of Brazilian beef and the competition and pressure that beef will put on the European markets on which Irish farmers depend. A recent interesting broadcast of the radio programme "Worlds Apart", presented by Rodney Rice, focused on the San Pablo region in Brazil. Mr. Rice met local people, as well as interviewing people who had worked in the meat business in Ireland. Irish agriculture has done more for that region and its people than the WTO talks will do for the poor people of Brazil. He stated that one can see how working in Ireland made a difference to people, in terms of their quality of life and standard of housing. The interviewees had worked in Cork, Roscommon, Galway and throughout the country and the money they earned in Ireland enabled them to build up their homes and region. A great community spirit was to be found there.

The programme also revealed the damage which has been done to the rain forest in Brazil in terms of the amount of forests that have been felled. Mr. Rice spoke to local community representatives and noted that people do not stand in the way of those responsible for this destruction. While the land mass of Brazil is 80 times greater than that of Ireland, the land is owned by 5,000 ranchers. No one questions these people because, as an interviewee noted, the bodies of many people who had objected to what was taking place had been found on the side of the road. Those people had been shot.

Workers in meat factories in Brazil are paid €40 per month, while such people doing the same job in Ireland would earn €350 per week. Hence, Irish farmers must compete while paying wages of €1,200 or €1,400 per month, compared to €40 per month in Brazil. No business or industry could compete against a market with such a low base production cost. This is why I wish the Minister the best of luck. She has a tough job to do and I hope she will be successful.

I understand that Senator O'Toole mentioned the pig and poultry industries. The pig industry employs 3,500 people and while it has no bearing on the WTO talks, it is a self-sufficient industry, which works extremely hard. It does not receive any subsidies and lives in the real world. The nitrates directive has been mentioned and in that context, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food was informed last week that Denmark, which has a land mass the size of Munster, has 20 million pigs, while Ireland, which is four times larger, has 3.5 million pigs. However, Denmark can comply with the nitrates directive. I cannot understand how that can happen. I am aware that the local authorities in Denmark monitor the directive and carry out tests on the land, while I understand that the EPA does so in Ireland. Perhaps we should consider changing that practice.

Abattoirs were mentioned in respect of the 85% payments made last week. In fairness to the Minister, her Department and officials, the payments were made on 1 December, as promised. A further 15% are still outstanding. I know, as do other Members, as politicians, that there is a reason as those 15% have not been paid. I do not doubt that it will be resolved soon.

I also note that the protection of decoupled payments and the green box is a line that cannot be crossed. I hope we stick to that, as no deal is better than a bad deal, and it is crucial not to cross that line.