FF response to Brexit efforts is disappointing – Deering

The Fianna Fáil response to the efforts being made by the Government to offset the challenges presented by Brexit is disappointing, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Carlow Deputy Pat Deering, Chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and Marine said: “Fianna Fáil’s response to Brexit appears to most observers to be to constantly criticise the Government’s response to Brexit uncertainty.

“The ill-judged comments employed by Lisa Chambers now seem to be spreading to other members of the Fianna Fáil front bench.

“Fianna Fáil’s only agriculture policy seems to be to criticise the Minister and we see that yet again this week, even though extra lairage space has been secured in Cherbourg,” Deputy Deering said.

“Charlie McConalogue seems to be missing the point of the work the Department of Agriculture is doing and how it fits into the export process. Exporters need to work together here and be honest with farmers.

“The Purcell brothers have offered a ship with capacity for 4,000 calves which will also offer lairage facility but the exporters have been holding back, thus having a detrimental effect on the prices of calves and diary stock.

“It’s amazing that the Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Agriculture has not encouraged exporters to use this service so that farmers can get the advantage of the facility that is being offered to Irish exporters.

“I would advise Deputy McConalogue to brush up on how the supply chain works or maybe reveal to us Fianna Fáil’s big plan for dealing with challenges in Irish agriculture.

“Maybe it is reassuring in these turbulent times to see that some things never change. Fianna Fáil continues to offer populist criticisms with no solutions,” Deputy Deering said.