Deputy McNamara will speak on the same matter. Level 5 is to come in tonight. I wish to make a plea with the Taoiseach in respect of the livestock sector, where the weanling calves are coming on market in large numbers.

In fairness, over the past few months all the marts have run the show online but also ensured that people on site practised safe social distancing. There is now a situation whereby broadband has become a major problem and has broken down at several marts. At least when there was social distancing, there would only have been approximately 25 people in the whole area of a mart when cattle were being brought in. Will the Taoiseach please look at that matter this evening? It will be detrimental to the trade in weanlings and to our exports if this matter is not looked at before tonight. People will not be able to be near the rings in marts, something that was done in a safe manner up to now. There was 2 m distancing as well as the online option. This morning, approximately 20 marts are experiencing trouble with their broadband connections and it will be at least a month before this is resolved.

The Taoiseach will be aware of the expression "a pig in a poke". Farmers and buyers will not buy a pig in a poke, they will want to go and inspect the cattle they are buying. In so doing, there will be more contacts between people than there would be if marts were allowed to continue to operate as they are now under the restrictions. I ask, therefore, that the Taoiseach think about allowing marts to remain open.

On a related matter, this whole move to online is not the panacea it is being presented as. Even clothes shops with an online presence, such as Patrick Bourke Menswear in Ennis, are distraught at what is happening because once people go online it drives business out of the country to Amazon and foreign firms.

I wrote to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine this morning about this issue and asked that some limited numbers of people be allowed around the rings at our marts. There is a major issue with broadband infrastructure. I spoke to one mart manager yesterday whose Internet connection is poor. Farmers and buyers at home simply do not have the necessary broadband. I appreciate that we cannot have concessions for everything in the context of these new restrictions but we are talking about farmers' livelihoods. We need to support them and their families at this most difficult time. As has been stated, marts have gone above and beyond to make sure that social distancing is in place. I ask that the Taoiseach look at this matter and that what is proposed be reconsidered.

I remind Members to social distance and to wear their masks.

I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. We are moving to level 5 at midnight for six weeks. Many sectors are already identifying themselves as being capable of operating safely. This will be a difficult and tough six weeks. There was an oversight meeting of Departments this morning to make it clear to many Departments that we want level 5 to work. The capacity to create exemptions in respect of different sectors just does not exist. People are looking for different exemptions in different areas.

There will be more mixing than would be the case with social distancing.

I am making a general point. To be fair, I appreciate that Deputy McNamara has his own views on level 5. We come from different perspectives.

The Taoiseach said that there will be more mixing, not less.

I am simply making the point that we have been given advice. I accept the advice fully in terms of moving to level 5 for six weeks.

When was the last time NPHET representatives were in a mart or in a hospital for that matter?

It will be tough and difficult but the key objective is to get our numbers and incidence rate down so we can reopen. Many sectors, retail and others, are saying that they could operate safely.