Deputy Charlie McConalogue says the failure by the Minister for Agriculture to convene a meeting of the Beef Market Taskforce puts the agreement which lead to the step down of protests at risk and that it is his responsibility to urgently get it up and running.
The Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Agriculture, Food and the Marine said “It is two months now since the beef protests stopped across the country. Despite the commitment to get a beef task force up and running, which led to the protests being stepped down, there has been a total failure to do so.
“There is an urgent onus on the Minister to deliver on that commitment.
“Given that we have seen little change in prices or behaviour by the factories since then, it is essential that the task force gets up and running and that many of the issues it is charged with addressing are dealt with comprehensively.
“It is not okay for the Minister to simply say he shares concerns on this matter.
“The Minister must stand up for farmers and get the taskforce operating and take full responsibility for this action. The buck stops with him and he needs to deliver,” concluded Deputy McConalogue.
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