Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 April 2022
943. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if it has been ensured that all beef processors have the facilities in place to honour the commitment in the 2019 Beef Sector Agreement to provide live weighing in factory lairages when requested to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18237/22]
View answerI was pleased to publish the report of the Chair of the Beef Taskforce in November last year.
The report clearly sets out that the group satisfied its remit in monitoring and progressing the implementation of the actions agreed by stakeholders in the beef sector agreement of 15th September 2019.
The Taskforce has delivered on its commitments which consisted of a total of 38 actions in two strands, one for the implementation of immediate changes and the second which related to strategic structural reform.
The Beef Taskforce can point to several specific and significant achievements, including:
- The introduction by the industry of new bonuses and increased bonus for the existing in-spec criteria.
- Significant input into the application for PGI status for Irish Grass Fed Beef
- Establishment of a Group to oversee of the development of a suckler brand proposition by Bord Bia, with a budget of up to €6 million.
- Three substantial reports on market transparency which add to the knowledge about the sector.
The Taskforce had a dedicated and diligent independent chair in Michael Dowling and I fully accepted his further recommendation that we need ongoing stakeholder engagement on the key strategic issues facing the sector. Preparations are currently under way to establish this new forum and further details will be announced in due course.
With regard to the action under the beef sector agreement on the provision of lairage weighing on request, at a meeting of the BTF in June 2021, individual processors attended to update on the industry specific actions. They indicated that where lairage weighing is requested by their suppliers they would provide the service, in line with the action under the agreement.
