I do not have to remind the Minister that the agriculture sector is in serious crisis at the moment with the collapse in beef, sheep and pig prices. The farming community is devastated and demoralised at present. Nowhere is this more evident than in my county of Kerry and in places such as west Limerick and north Cork which are serviced by Fenit port. I am making a special appeal to the Minister to allow the live export of cattle from Fenit port. It is estimated that a saving of between £25 and £30 per animal would be made if live exports were allowed from the port.
I realise the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development has raised a number of issues as regards the use of Fenit port for live exports. As I understand it, only a limited operation is proposed, confined to about eight to ten shipments of weanlings to Spain from late August to early November. Each shipment would consist of approximately 900 weanlings, so the total number exported would not exceed 9,000 animals.
The question of the vessel which would transport these animals has been raised. The specialised livestock ship, the Angus Express, which I understand has been approved for this purpose, has been chartered for the duration of the operation. The harbour master in Fenit is satisfied that this vessel can be safely loaded in Fenit. However, there may be restrictions related to tidal movement as to when loading can take place to avoid excessive gradient on the loading ramp.
The question of lairage has also been raised. There is no proposal to set up a lair in Fenit, as there is not the space for it on the pier and there would be problems preventing slurry getting into the harbour. Any veterinary inspection of animals, weighing or documentation of animals must be done elsewhere, then the animals can be brought to Fenit in sealed trucks and discharged from the trucks straight on to the ships. Lairage could easily be provided in Kingdom Mart, which is only four miles away.
It is proposed to form a secure chute approximately 40 feet long by placing 20 foot containers along the quay at right angles to the ship's ramp. The trucks would be backed into one end of the chute and the gates of the truck, when open, would be tied into the containers so that there is no possibility of animals escaping. If necessary, extra barriers could be placed from the containers to the sides of the truck to give double protection. The weanlings would be released from the pens on to the truck, one pen at a time, so that there would not be more than 12 to 15 animals in the chute at any one time. The weanlings would then be herded into their pen on the ship before the next pen on the truck could be opened. Hay, straw and water can be loaded on the vessel before, during or after the loading of animals.
The Harbour Commissioners, who are seeking blue flag status for their marina, are very conscious of the need to prevent any pollution of the harbour with cattle slurry. Consequently, the Commissioners will insist that the trucks be straw lined, as would the chute and loading ramp. Thus there would be no runoff of liquid slurry. After loading, the straw would be immediately removed from the harbour area in a skip. The Harbour Commissioners are also very conscious of animal welfare. They would ensure that all procedures would comply with the highest standards and that there would be no protestors; people would not be concerned about the operation as the Commissioners would ensure it conformed to the highest standards.
About 20 ships per annum use the port and there is more than enough room to handle cattle shipments. The two major customers are Irish Shell, which imports oil, and Liebherr Container Cranes, which exports cranes. The export of live cattle can be easily accommodated here. I appeal to the Minister of State on behalf of the farmers of Kerry, north Cork and west Limerick in particular to give this sympathetic consideration. I hope he has a positive announcement to make.
