Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise issues around agriculture. First and foremost, I congratulate the Minister for agriculture and the Irish farming association organisations – the IFA, the ICMSA, Macra na Feirme, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society, ICOS, and a number of others – on the finalisation of the farm charter yesterday. It is a fundamental piece of work. The Minister also announced last night the appointment of the chair of the proposed monitoring committee. The farm charter is a significant document. It has been long coming. We extended the old one for two years. The Minister was very anxious. Those of us who are members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine discussed this at great length. This will map out terms of engagement and what farmers can expect with regard to payment schemes and the various processes. It is important. I congratulate the Minister and the officials in the Department of agriculture for their work on that.

I wish to draw to the attention of Members the agriculture statement of strategy 2023-26. It will be discussed tonight at the joint committee on agriculture. I again acknowledge the significant work the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine does. This is a particularly important strategy. Of course, there is the caveat that we do not know when there will be a general election, and the Minister clearly indicated that it will be the prerogative of the new Minister whenever that happens in the next six months and whomever it may be. The new regime that will be in the Department will clearly be able to review that strategy.

In the last minute and a half I have, I raise the issue of “RTÉ Investigates”. We heard that the Department of agriculture has an investigative unit and was going to investigate issues around Shannonside Foods Limited. We saw the horrific carry-on of the horse slaughtering plant in Straffan, County Kildare. I am conscious there are legal issues around that, so I will not go into great detail. However, I can confirm that Interpol and the international food agencies are now involved. There have been a number of food alerts related to Irish horse meat, particularly in France but in other jurisdictions. This has gone to a very senior level internationally. It is about animal welfare – equine welfare in this case – and the food chain, so this is significant. What am I saying? There is a need for an independent, external investigation into these matters if we are to instil confidence in the public at large. There is outrage. The fact that an internal unit within the Department of agriculture is acting as judge and jury in its own cause is unacceptable. The message I want to go out from Seanad Éireann in my name is that we need a full independent external review of what happened in the Shannonside Foods plant and the role, or lack of role, and responsibility by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.