I want to thank you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, and the Ceann Comhairle, for the opportunity to speak on this very sensitive issue. It is a matter which is of the utmost significance to me and to Deputy Leonard who is also in the House, to the people of Monaghan in general and also to those in various parts of Ireland. The strike of veterinary inspectors at the processing plants has been going on for a few weeks and the reason I raise it on the Adjournment today is that there is a great danger that the dispute might be escalated on Monday.
I will give a breakdown of the position and the enormity of what might happen if the dispute is escalated, so that people will appreciate why it is so important that we have this debate this evening. I have been reliably informed that the gross annual turnover of the industry runs at £200 million per year and the direct employment potential is in excess of 5,000 people. That of course is only part of the picture because there is much downstream activity attached to the industry. For example, the feedstuffs supplied to the industry cost in the region of £70 million a year. There is also the question of transportation, the retailers involved and a small export market. The significance of the poultry industry to the Irish economy is, relatively speaking, quite big. I am reliably informed that the Irish Congress of Trade Unions are meeting on Monday to discuss the whole matter and there is a danger that they will make a decision which could make the wheels of the industry grind to a complete halt.
Regarding the background to the strike, my information is that there are 24 veterinary inspectors involved in the various processing plants around the country. I have visited a number of the plants in the last week. The inspectors are carrying out a protest — that is all it has been up to now — by sitting in their cars at the gates and they have made no attempt whatever to disrupt the workings of the factories involved. The reason for the dispute initially was that these people were being paid less money and were being graded differently from their counterparts in the red meat sector. Their point was that they were doing the same kind of work and therefore were entitled to the same money and the same grading. Initially the Department disagreed but latterly they granted the increase requested. Those people are now being paid the same amount of money as their counterparts in the red meat sector but, for some inexplicable reason, the Department are withholding on the grading aspect. I find this hard to understand, especially considering the small number of people involved.
In the first instance, the amount of money involved was a pittance, probably less than £30,000 per annum. It seems there was absolutely no need for the strike to take place. As I have said, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions will meet on Monday. I understand proposals will be put to the meeting that the strike should be escalated and that would mean that the industry would virtually close down. Some of the plants are not unionised, nevertheless they would either not be able to get supplies because of trade union activity or would not be able to get rid of their processed meat. The consequences of that are truly frightening.
If the union decides to take action, within a week all the chickens which are being fattened would have to be destroyed because the people could not afford to keep them. First, they would run out of space as the chickens grew and, secondly, they could not justify the cost of feeding them for an indeterminate length of time. The "day-old" producers would also have to destroy their stock. Obviously there would be nobody to buy it and they would also have the problem of storage space. The breeding farms would have to destroy the eggs in stock and would also have to destroy the breeders. Obviously that is painting the worst possible picture but if the problem is not resolved and the trade union movement decide to take action, that scenario might just become a reality.
I hope the Minister, Deputy Walsh, will say that this problem is behind us, because an enormous amount of damage could be done to the industry if the dispute continues. If the factories are closed down many people will suffer extreme financial loss as a result and may not be in a position, when the dispute is resolved, to get back into the business quickly again. There would also be a gap in the home market which would have to be failled by imports and that would make a significant difference to the whole economy. This is a very sensitive area and we have to be careful that, in trying to resolve the matter, we do not draw too much attention to it. On the other hand, we have to lay the blame where it really belongs, firmly in the Minister's court. He has the power, and has had it from the beginning, to resolve the problem. It should never have gone this far and we should not have had to discuss it this evening. I appeal to the Minister to take it on himself, this evening or tomorrow morning, to make the necessary decision to halt the dispute and to ensure that the industry comes out unscathed. I look forward to the Minister's reply.
