Pig farmers and M20 route
Matt Carthy pressed for more help for pig farmers facing input costs and depressed prices, while Pádraig O'Sullivan asked for reassurance on the M20 route selection. The Taoiseach said the pig industry remained a priority and that the Cork-Limerick road commitment would proceed, with the route decision marking an important milestone.
We are running out of time so I will take the last two speakers. I call Deputy Carthy.
Comment on this
Farmers across all sectors have been struggling with increasing input costs. The Government response has been far too slow and underwhelming. For pig farmers, those escalating input costs have been compounded by depressed prices. They are in a battle for the survival of the sector. They are protesting at Kildare Street today and pleading with the Government to intervene further.
This is not a month-old crisis. I have been raising it with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine since September, as have many other Deputies. Does the Taoiseach accept that the Government needs to do more? I welcome the limited moves that have been made but much more needs to be done. The sector has said it requires a €100 million package, about half of which can be provided in loans. Will the Taoiseach utilise the Brexit adjustment reserve, the EU crisis reserve and any other measures at his disposal to save the sector?
Comment on this
Tomorrow is a big day for the people of Cork and Limerick, given that the route selection for the M20 will finally conclude. We all know the story of the old Cork-Limerick road, how dangerous it is and how many accidents and fatalities there have been there over the years. Will the Taoiseach give the best assurance he can that this road will proceed this time?
Comment on this
To deal with Deputy Carthy first, the Government wants to keep the pig industry going. It is a good industry in terms of viability and had been doing well. Some market distortions arose. There is a perfect storm at the moment with the war in Ukraine. We have taken initial steps to assist the industry. The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, is in constant engagement with the farming organisations and State entities to see what can be done to respond further to the situation and to help.
The Government is committed to the Cork-Limerick road. The route selection tomorrow will be an important milestone in relation to that project. Anyone who has travelled that road knows there are too many bottlenecks, including Buttevant, Charleville and many others. This is something that many people are anxious to see happen from a road safety point of view, in particular.