Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

People on the ground would question whether that is the case in reality. This is the reason issues raised previously are being raised again. The result this year has been a disaster for farmers. These are farmers who have done everything asked of them to ensure quality and traceability in the industry. Irish beef is the most traceable. Farmers have been equally compliant at every turn. What was the point of all of this if they cannot now get their bulls killed?

The Government needs to take action. The Minister has claimed that our Food Harvest 2020 targets will be met. However, farmers will not continue to expand production from now until 2020 if they are going to have to do so at a loss. Farmers are using their single farm payments to subsidise their production this year but will not be anxious to do so again. Perhaps the factories will change their attitudes when supply begins to shrink because farmers have decided they will not remain in the beef industry when they are operating at a loss, are not treated with respect and have no guarantee of what is coming down the road for them.

As regards labelling of beef, Sinn Féin in the South and the Sinn Féin Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in the North, Michelle O'Neill, is in favour of Irish beef North and South being labelled Irish beef and encourages the Minister to work towards this end in co-operation with the British and Northern Ireland Ministries. There is no point or benefit in Irish farmers competing with each other for the foreign beef market. They should instead be co-operating with each other against the rest of the world for the lucrative markets that exist for Irish beef products. Is ar an mbunús sin agus mar gheall ar an ngéarchéim a léirigh na feirmeoirí a bhí taobh amuigh de na geataí anseo cúpla seachtain ó shin go bhfuil muid ag tacú leis an rún seo atá dhá chur chun cinn. Ní bheidh muid ag tacú leis an leasú atá an Rialtas ag cur chun cinn.