Vol. 542 No. 5
102 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the efforts he is making to ensure farmers who have cattle ready for slaughter over 30 months of age will have these accepted by meat factories; and the efforts he has made to ensure meat factories will tender for sufficient intervention tonnage to cater for the huge backlog. [24812/01]
The information available to me suggests that there is not a big backlog of cattle over 30 months of age on Irish farms. The major outlets for such cattle are the continental European market, Russia, the special purchase scheme and intervention. The quantity of beef being sold into the special purchase scheme is considerable and accounts for the vast bulk of the cows slaughtered in the country in recent weeks. Russia and the Netherlands are the main markets for over 30 month steer beef which can also be sold into intervention. In this regard, the quantity offered into intervention is entirely a matter for the beef processing industry. The Commission has accepted the bulk of the beef offered into intervention by Irish processors this autumn.
I am disappointed by the Minister of State's reply. I asked if the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development was aware of the serious difficulties encountered by farmers in trying to have cattle over 30 months of age accepted for slaughter by the meat factories and if he would guarantee that those factories will tender for sufficient intervention tonnage in order to clear the backlog of fat cattle for slaughter. I have been informed that, two weeks ago, the factories tendered for only 800 tonnes of intervention beef. Had they tendered for 20 times that amount, inroads might have been made into clearing the backlog.
A question please, Deputy.
Is the Department not going to ask the meat factories to tender for sufficient tonnage in order to clear the backlog of fat cattle before the winter, which is fast approaching?
As stated, the information available suggests that there is not a large backlog of cattle over 30 months of age in the country. Compared to this time last year, the figure for steers is up by 37,000, for cows it is down 2,000, for heifers it is down by 27,000 and for young bulls it is up by 7,000. Therefore, there has been a total increase of 15,000 in the number of animals slaughtered. It is acknowledged that there is a backlog in the number of cows available for slaughter, but the special purchase scheme continues to cater for increasing volumes of these animals. It is expected that the residual backlog will be cleared by the end of the year. At the end of September this year 100,000 cows had been slaughtered and accepted into the special purchase scheme.
The Minister of State is in cloud cuckooland.
That is not a question, Deputy.
I am referring to cattle – namely, bullocks – over 30 months of age which farmers cannot get accepted into factories. Regardless of the statistics he is quoting, if the Minister of State travels to any farming region in the country, he will discover that what I say is correct. Farmers are trying to get their cattle into meat factories for slaughtering, but those factories are not tendering for intervention tonnage. If they did so, it would alleviate the situation. The Minister of State is not fully aware of what is happening.
Before the Minister of State replies, I will take brief questions from the four Deputies offering.
Will the ban on beef from some counties to Russia be removed soon? It is very difficult to have cattle from these counties – including that which I represent – accepted into meat factories.
Does the Minister of State accept that this is a serious situation for small farmers who cannot sell their cattle? Does he also accept that the figures he provided are out of tune with reality, particularly as there have been no live exports of these heavy cattle in the past 12 months, a fact of which the increase in slaughtering takes account? Does he further accept that the failure of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development to allow increased numbers of animals into the slaughter scheme before the end of July is the reason some farmers cannot now get rid of cattle.
I am shocked by the Minister of State's figures. Is he aware that across the mid-
lands there are hundreds of farms with cattle over 30 months? Is he aware that those farmers have nowhere to go with those cattle? Is he aware of the desolation and desperation in that part of the country? What signal can he send to those farmers which might give them some degree of solace and some income from the sale of those cattle?
Whether the Minister of State or someone else wrote that answer, they do not know much about cattle over 30 months. Whatever about the bullocks, which are difficult to sell as they are down to 74p per pound if one can get that, what about the heifers over 30 months? There is literally no place for them to go. I am making a case for some scheme to be devised for farmers with heifers over 30 months to ensure that those animals can be killed. Some of them are being put through the factories as cows just to get rid of them. There are huge problems and I heard of a case yesterday where heifers over 30 months were priced in the mid-60s. That is a disgrace.
Deputy Brady asked about the Russian market. The Russians are looking at herds rather than county allocations, particularly herds that have not had BSE where that can be guaranteed. We have yet to hear their final word on that matter but they are looking at the victimisation of some counties because there have been some cases there, though that would not always have been the case.
The Minister of State had all the answers not so long ago.
The Minister of State without interruption.
There has been a downturn of 5% in the herd this year – it was 4% down anyway – and the increase to date is 30,000 more head of cattle slaughtered this year than in June 2001. That is 90,000 fewer male animals over two years available at that stage.
Over live exports?
The Deputy will be aware that all export markets were closed except for the rejuvenation of the Egyptian market and the Russian market—
That has not made much of a contribution.
It was not open but now it is open.
The Minister of State is clutching at straws.
No, I am not. The reality is that we have to sell them outside the country. As everyone in the House is aware, 85% of the beef in the country has to go outside.
Has anything been shipped to Egypt yet?
The Minister of State without interruption. The time is almost concluded.
The situation in Egypt is that people there have to apply for licences to import the meat. Those negotiations are going on between the Egyptian importers and the
Egyptians themselves.
Where will we send heavy heifers?
I was aware at the last two fairs that there was a large number of people there from the beef agencies. We are doing quite well in business in both the new markets and Russia.
