As the Deputy will be aware, the Beef Taskforce scheduled for Monday October 14 was suspended following altercations outside Agriculture House where members of the Taskforce were prevented from attending the meeting.
The Taskforce’s remit is to monitor the implementation of the actions arising from the agreement reached on 15 September and offers the most viable platform for strategic engagement with key stakeholders. It is in the interests of everyone involved in the beef industry that the work of the Taskforce goes ahead and I regret that farm representatives were not in a position to air the legitimate concerns of farmers at the Taskforce meeting.