Tillage sector
Senator Byrne raised the crisis in the tillage sector, especially in Wexford, where low grain prices and weak prospects are leaving farmers with little future and undermining Irish grain use in whiskey production.
I raise an issue about the tillage sector that came before the agricultural committee yesterday. I spoke in this Chamber recently about the impact that low grain prices are having in my home county of Wexford, where we have a very strong and vibrant tillage sector. Unfortunately, as things are at the moment, tillage farmers have told me that they do not see a future in the sector and that this is the worst year in a generation.
One of the issues highlighted yesterday before the Oireachtas agricultural committee was that, at present, one can market Irish whiskey without a need for Irish grain in the whiskey. There could be a situation where Irish whiskey can be sold and successfully labelled as such while the only ingredient that comes from Ireland is water. I encourage the Deputy Leader to ask the Minister responsible for this area to come before the House and make a statement on this matter. If we are to support our tillage sector, there should be a food labelling requirement that grain from Ireland must be used when marketing something as Irish whiskey.