Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 129: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her plans to support the poultry industry due to the lack of adequate processing facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3576/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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There are adequate poultry processing facilities in this country having regard to such criteria as the overall volume of poultry being reared and produced here. Poultry processing plants must strive to compete efficiently with operators in other countries and volume throughput is essential to this efficiency. Our poultry slaughter plants are small by comparison with the main players in other countries and increasing the number of processing plants would not serve the interests of the Irish poultry industry. The need to seek economies through rationalisation and reduction in the number of poultry plants was identified in the Agri Food 2010 report.

Poultry processors have faced major challenges over the last couple of years. A number of the remaining plants have increased their throughput to make up in part for the void created by plant closures. I am aware that many suppliers to now-closed plants have entered into contracts with new processing outlets. Others are converting their production facilities from conventional to free range systems in line with the good demand for free range poultry meat and my Department is assisting them in this transition.