Denis Naughten TD has called for a whole of Government intervention to lift the current blockade of the beef taskforce before Christmas is cancelled for farm families across Ireland.

 

Speaking in the Dáil Denis Naughten said: “One organisation is now holding a whole industry to ransom by its failure to lift injunctions against two farmers, one an elected Councillor, and this has resulted in huge frustration and anger right across the farming community.

 

“This has sadly boiled over into the current blockade of the streets of Dublin.

 

“On 15th October I told Dáil Eireann that it was ‘unacceptable that Larry Goodman’s ABP Food Group has effectively stalled the beef task force through its failure to lift legal threats’.

 

“Farmers are frustrated because they cannot get cattle into meat factories at the moment.

 

“We can all focus on the cause but what farming families need now is money. Money to pay end of year bills and money to pay for Christmas, just like every other family.

 

“We cannot allow Christmas to be cancelled for the children of Ireland who live on our farms; we need everybody around that table now.

 

“I accept that there is no silver bullet to the issues in the beef sector at the moment but the four measures I put forward in the Private Members’ motion of 26th September – and unanimously accepted by Dáil Éireann – would fundamentally shift power away from meat processors and the supermarkets to Irish suckler beef farmers.

 

“While this will not solve the problem overnight, if such effective steps had been taken five years ago we would be in a very different situation today.”

 

ENDS.

Link to details of my September proposals, adopted by Dáil Eireann:

https://denisnaughten.ie/2019/09/26/unanimous-support-for-naughten-beef-reforms/

Copy of Dáil speech:

Minister you are fully aware that one organisation is now holding a whole industry to ransom by its failure to lift injunctions against two farmers, one an elected Councillor, and this has resulted in huge frustration and anger right across the farming community.

 

This has sadly boiled over into the current blockade of the streets of Dublin.

 

On 15th October I told you, Minister, that it was unacceptable that Larry Goodman’s ABP Food Group has effectively stalled the beef task force through its failure to lift legal threats – that’s why farmers around the country are so frustrated, and that’s why they are on the streets of our capital today.

 

I accept that there is no silver bullet to the issues in the beef sector at the moment but the four measures I put forward in the Private Members’ motion of 26th September – & unanimously accepted by Dáil Éireann – would fundamentally shift power away from meat processors and the supermarkets to Irish suckler beef farmers.

 

While this will not solve the problem overnight, if such effective steps had been taken five years ago we would be in a very different situation today.

 

 

 

final intervention:

 

We need a whole of Government intervention now to have the injunctions lifted and we need all farmers, farm organisations and TDs need to work together to secure the viability of family farms.

 

Minister, farmers are frustrated because they cannot get cattle into meat factories at the moment.

 

We can all focus on the cause but what farming families need now is money.

 

Money to pay end of year bills and money to pay for Christmas, just like every other family.

 

We cannot allow Christmas to be cancelled for the children of Ireland who live on our farms; we need everybody around that table now.