Mattie McGrath: Calls out 'cosy cartel' in beef industry
Mattie McGrath criticised the meat industry and its marketing bodies, arguing they siphon profits from farmers and calling for meaningful legislation. He supported Deputy McNamara's amendments and thanked Councillor Cawler and the Government Whip for securing amendments two, three and six together.
Support for amendments
McGrath opened by endorsing Deputy McNamara's initiative and complimenting him for getting amendments on the table. He thanked Councillor Cawler and the Government Whip for arranging amendments two, three and six to be taken together.
Accusation of a 'cosy cartel'
He accused the meat sector, marketing agencies and some farming leadership of forming a "cosy cartel" that benefits processors and large interests at the expense of producers. He described the situation as "rotten" and said there is no appetite among successive governments or EU ministers to tackle the issue.
Impact on farmers and rural communities
McGrath said many suppliers have paid levies to representative organisations while feeling unrepresented when protests and pickets occurred. He warned small producers are being squeezed out by large food lots and supermarket practices, undermining family farms and rural livelihoods.
Concerns about schemes, Bord Bia and traceability
He criticised Bord Bia, marketing efforts and current agri-environment schemes, calling some measures "lethargic" or "Mickey Mouse" and saying they increase costs for farmers. He raised issues around traceability, the hijacking of the fifth quarter, and distrust of regulators and industry bodies.
Local impact and personal background
McGrath acknowledged employment provided by meat factories while arguing the profits are siphoned away from farming families. He spoke from personal experience on a mixed family farm, declared an interest in his son's hill sheep farming, and closed by recalling a recent commemoration of a late local figure.
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I, too, support Deputy McNamara and compliment him on getting his amendments on the table and to join him in thanks for the cooperation of the Councillor Cawler and the Minister, sorry, the Government of Whip, and amendments two and three and six together. Again, you know, we had Macron Affirmary here today, I think you were to meet him, and she said Deputy Minister Hayden was meeting him himself, and, you know, look, it really hits this very kernel, of what agriculture and the worries of the future, and I'm sure you've met him, they made a case to you, and like what they said in their statement, like that their action is grounded on a desire for young people to have a vibrant and prosperous future in rural Ireland. We love rural Ireland, we want to live in rural Ireland, and we want our children to have a future in rural communities. So without proper and meaningful legislation that takes on the big moguls and the beef 한다, the rhymes is longest I can remember, I said justly here. I remember when Charles Jai went over and sat down and the tent squatted with the late Qaddafi, and opened up with the persons at the time, JB split exports, but it evolved from there, and look what we have now. And we see former IFA presidents, and they become feedlots for the meat factories. The whole thing is rotten, as far as I'm concerned, rotten. And I see no appetite and no desire for successive governments, the EU ministers as well, to tackle this. None whatsoever. And we had the pickets on the factories two or three years ago now, I can't remember, I don't go on. The farmers were out there, the IFA wasn't to be seen with them at the time. Some other groups did come. But I mean, many, many people who supply cattle to the factories are paying levies to the IFA and other organisations. And many will stop at that time, and more will stop, because they're not being represented by either the rural TDs in Fianna Fáil, Fianna Gael, the Greens are totally out to destroy them, and some independents, who are backing the government all the time. They're not being represented. And they're not being represented by the farming organisations, because it's a cosy cartel. Cosy cartel. Cosy cartel. And you have Bored Bia, and we have beef industry, and we have to go broad marketing and all. It's all lethargic, and rather inept and feeble. Cosy cartel. It's all lethargic, a world-renowned product that should be walking off the shelves. And it shouldn't be walking off the shelves, or it should be well-desired to go off the shelves. But the price that the housewife has to pay, or the mammy or the daddy, whatever. The house person has to pay the family, compared to what the producer gets. and then we have the fifth quarter totally totally hijacked and not desperate at all at all so the farmers here are complete I've been treated as complete letter they you know eat it's got to give me and it no say and I have gone and the same with supermarkets as gas vegetables in this case we're talking about meat food meeting here and the same cracks is going on divided conquer to get rid of all the small producers and then have all the big big food lots and big and we have it in my county with massive huge huge huge ranches you haven't killed there two minutes so I can't speak much for doing y'all I've been able to care an interest to as a landowner but yeah my son is as at least and then he's a hill sheep farmer but I declared interest that someone says otherwise that I wouldn't be bored not talking about it but I was fearlessly represent the agricultural community born and raised on a mixed family where we had cows cattle sheep sugar beet wheat barley you name it everything and 30 40 acres of potatoes that told it all of us think of from that and educated my family our families well and to sink now that you know the small farmers have been ruled and see those noble people today led by their president and incoming president and mockery to come up to make a last gasp ever to to someone support them someone give call off the dogs on them and stop the demonizing and stopped the vitriol has been poured on agricultural people as people that don't care about the environment they've been excellent excellent animal welfare husbandry and indeed land husbandry and looking after the land and will do so already and willing enable and then when the web scheme and all them came out first they were brilliant now the schemes on Mickey Mouse and they're not doing it cost you more to employ agents and everybody else to do so but in this case there's no appetite whatsoever to tackle their their meat industry none and we see now those meat moguls have branched into god knows what from fitness stations to every kind of hotels you name it all on the backs of Irish farmers and the workers and I do recognize the amount of employment that are in the meat factories and as many businesses I don't I do I do when in my own town of care and indeed in in the rest we and Nina and ever presents stone he looks consistency in dawn meets and all the plants certainly yes and they're also the maintenance crews that go in there and and and the building that goes under but nonetheless the profits and it's siphoning off at the profits that's like me offered to spending another other and projects it's gone away from the family farm it's gone away from the last family farmers done away from the big farmers and then with all the restrictions that you put on here about producing and and and producing the grass that we need to have it from farm to farm traceability and I do say the board be around doing and pulling their ways regulators what's my name regulars you can't trust these people they laugh at him take him out of the way as if there were a bit of dirt in the ground there's no interest in it and they have politicians in this house fall not over to every beck and call so it's a far cry again and I'm going to finish with the man that I we commemorated three weeks ago the late leader of the Republican forces late you know Liam Lynch who gave up his life 100 years ago three weeks on the 10th of April today fought for the ideas of a free and a farming and he wanted all he wanted to do when he finished the war of Independence and the fight for freedom to go back to a farm and get married to his fiancee and live out his life on a small family farm my God those ideas are so far away from the beef balance and the and and and the moguls in industry would have been super max of whatever else and the farmers are made the patsies but I'm sick and tired of it now and if we don't protect them and we don't sit up and listen we won't have them I will have four charges and we'll have misfortunes and we'll have and I would remind you again that when the last three or sessions that I remember it was the agricultural community that pulled us over the doldrums and recovered our economy and I support these amendments
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