Pat O'Neill (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Before I ask the Leader for a debate on the principal issue I wish to raise, I agree with Senator Darragh O'Brien in his comments on Deputy Peadar Tóibín's interview on radio this morning. It is ironic that the Deputy should say the only way to deal with the issue is in a court of law when the group with which he is associated did not recognise the institutions of the State, North or South, that is, the Garda and the Army. How many times did members of Sinn Féin stand in the dock and say they did not recognise the court? Senator Darragh O'Brien is correct in stating Sinn Féin must release a list of the people, paedophiles and rapists, who were banished, either North or South, because the safety of children and others was affected.

I ask the Leader for an urgent debate on the beef industry. I have raised on numerous occasions the issue of the low prices farmers are receiving. Next Monday farmers are being forced to blockade the factories and not to allow animals to enter them in protest at the prices they are receiving. The prices are €1 per kilo or €350 per carcass lower than what farmers are receiving in Northern Ireland. The Government has shown its commitment to agriculture in the budget by introducing measures on land leasing and tax reliefs for farmers. Farmers, however, cannot live on these measure alone; they must also get a fair price. Since taking office the Minister has worked and has opened up new markets. In the past two weeks we have seen the largest kill this year, with the slaughter of more than 35,000 animals. Factories would not be killing this number unless they had the markets for their produce. The animals are not being slaughtered to be put in cold storage. As cattle from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are being sold to the same major English supermarkets, why is there a discount on the price of cattle from the South? The truth is that farmers are being ripped off. Next Wednesday we will have the third meeting of the beef round table forum which will discuss the meat factories' response to the Dowling report. I ask members of the forum to ask the right questions and put pressure on the factories to treat farmers in a fair manner. The current price is unsustainable and farmers will exit the beef industry in their thousands unless something is done. I wish the IFA and the farming organisations the best of luck during the blockade. I hope somebody will stands up and take notice.