Since there was an issue, can we hear Deputy O'Donoghue?

What is the Government going to do about the cartel-like system in the beef industry where the same feeder groups are getting the high prices? At the end of the year when they are audited and do their accounts, they have an average price, but if the company is audited and the beef factories are audited, it will show that the same suppliers all year round are getting the high prices and the beef farmers who want to sell their cattle are always getting the low prices. The Minister should take out the average price, go in and audit who is getting the high prices all the time and who has the highest farm payment coming in in the country, and find out if the feeder farms into those factories are always getting the high prices and leaving the genuine farmers who have beef with the low prices.

Deputy Nolan is on the same matter.

There has been a serious problem with beef farmers not receiving a fair price for a long time. Although the prices have improved, it is not before time. There is an issue in terms of how business is done. We need this looked at. I posed a question to know why transfer pricing was not included in the Grant Thornton report and I asked the Minister to deal with that matter. I hope we will have more transparency and, indeed, that farmers, particularly beef farmers, will be rewarded for producing high-quality produce. They are not being treated fairly and there needs to be oversight and transparency in regard to this.

I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue. I will seek a reply from the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for them. If they have evidence of meat factories behaving as cartels, which, of course, is against the law, I would encourage them to contact the consumer and competition authority about that with the information they have.

That concludes Questions on Promised Legislation. I am sorry if there was some slight misunderstanding in the handover between the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and myself.