Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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51. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has considered the possible impacts of the further concentration of ownership of the meat processing industry here on small farmers. [27017/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Any further concentration of ownership of the meat processing industry through an acquisition or merger is a matter for the relevant authorities under the EU legislation covering the control of concentrations between undertakings (the EC Merger Regulation). Depending on the turnover thresholds of the undertakings concerned, it would be notifiable to the European Commission or to the relevant national authority.

The Department's statutory responsibility in the context of meat plants is to approve slaughter plants in accordance with the European Union (Food and Feed Hygiene) Regulations 2020 and after that to ensure that the DAFM approved plants operate in compliance with the EU's food hygiene legislation, animal health and animal welfare standards. The Department can not, in carrying out this process, take into account issues such as the concentration of ownership, as it is outside the scope of this remit.

I have acknowledged the importance of transparency in the market for primary producers and the Department is progressing several initiatives to increase transparency, in particular the establishment of a new Office, to be called the National Food Ombudsman or similar.

This new Office will have a specific role in analysing and reporting on price and market data in Ireland. Legislation is required to establish the new Office and a national consultation process on the additional functions to be assigned to the office, going beyond those in the Unfair Trading Practices Directive, is currently ongoing. The consultation is open on gov.ie/consultations until 26th May.

In relation to the beef sector in particular, the completion of the three market transparency studies commissioned by the Department, as part of the Beef TaskForce, will be an important step towards improving visibility of the complex supply chain which is integral in fostering trust and enhancing supply chain relationships. These studies, the last of which is currently being finalised, will act as an important starting point for driving increased transparency.

The Department already publishes a range of beef data including current prices, historical prices and trends. In particular, the Beef PriceWatch App provides users with up-to-date information on the average price paid for animals in 24 DAFM approved meat factories throughout the country.