Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to propose a change to the Order of Business, “That No. 14 on the Order Paper be taken before No. 1”, as I wish to introduce the Registration of Wills Bill 2021 in my name and that of my colleagues in the Independent group. I know that will be seconded later by a colleague.

I want to spend my time this morning on the issue of the meat industry. I circulated to every Member of the House a story about the meat industry and the issues of concern that were published in The Guardianand which had huge traction both in the UK and in Ireland in the last 24 hours. I suggested that when any of us tuck into our next chicken breast, we might consider the plight of the workers and the horrific stories in that article in regard to Ireland and people who have come into Ireland via various routes and through employment agencies to work in the sector here. One woman described having to pull and pack 20,000 chicken breasts. When she was ill and having her period, she asked to go to the bathroom and she was refused. Various other things are described in this article. The article goes on to attribute issues around the Workplace Relations Commission and to suggest “the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), says it has no data in relation to the number of meat workers hired by agencies and sub-contractors” in this country. That surely has to be alarming.

It is an horrific story. These are people who have come into this country with hope, ambition, excitement and the possibility of a new life. These are the invisible migrant workers who are propping up Ireland's €4 billion meat industry. It cannot be allowed to happen and we should not stand by idly. We should stand in solidarity with these people. Some of these people have not been regularised. In a documentary which I downloaded yesterday, some other people talk about how they were so ill that they were popping pills to reduce their temperature for fear they would show up in regard to Covid when coming into the workforce. Some of these people are working 60 hours a week in our meat industry.

I say that as someone conscious of the concerns around agriculture. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I am elected on the agricultural panel of Seanad Éireann. I do not want to ruin this industry. I want this to be a good, clean and honourable industry with integrity but, more importantly, I am concerned about the workforce that is producing chickens that we might very well consume and eat here in Leinster House, and we certainly consume and eat them in restaurants around this country. We must stand in solidarity with these workers.

I am pleased to say I had an email the very first thing this morning, within minutes of circulating this, from Deputy Ivana Bacik, who has committed to raising it in the Dáil. My ask here today is that we all stand in solidarity with these workers. I know the Leader would have a particular interest, knowledge and experience of issues around employment rights, being a Minister with responsibility in these areas in the past. Let us all stand together in solidarity and fight for the equal rights of these workers and, equally, to protect our agriculture and agrifood sector, which is a really important industry for the Irish economy.