Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This morning I raise the matter of the humble spud, the Irish potato. Yesterday, the Irish Potato Conference took place and some of the results from it are stark manifestations of many of the issues I raised here in the past taking in the entire agriculture sector. It was revealed yesterday that the average price a farmer gets for a tonne of potatoes is €200 to €300. When a potato is sold from a supermarket shelf - potatoes are purchased in our retail outlets every second of every day - the same tonne of potatoes would be retailed at €1,400. The farmer is not even getting 20% of the price but the same farmer takes all the risk. The farmer would be doing very well to get €300.

My colleague in the Dáil, Deputy McConalogue, introduced a Private Members' Bill last year seeking to establish a food ombudsman. That was in March 2017. There is a serious need to introduce a food ombudsman. The farmer cannot be a price taker any more when we see the exorbitant profits being made by everybody who handles the farmers' product before it gets to our kitchen table. We must look into this. The Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, review is ongoing and with Brexit there is no guarantee the payment will be what it was. Farmers are living on subsidies from Brussels and not the price they can get for their products. What they get for a tonne of potatoes is below cost but the price goes from €300 to €1,400 for a tonne when, at most, two other people handle the product. These are a packager and retailer. The time for talking about this is long gone and it must be addressed. I ask that we take immediate action to introduce a food ombudsman.

The Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine produced a report on the tillage sector and the grain grower is in the same position. While Irish distillers are becoming global kings, the grain growers of Ireland are working for cost price. Some action must be taken. The day for talking is gone. We know Brexit is coming and the British will leave Europe. We are all lobbying for an improved CAP but it is possible it will not come about. Without it, farming, the agriculture industry and food production will be affected. It is not just about farmers; consumers need food production. The farmers will not be here to supply us with the food we need if serious action is not taken. The figures yesterday were startling. The potato goes from €300 per tonne leaving the field to €1,400 sitting on the shelf of the supermarket. Who is making the money there?