Sinn Féin spokesperson for Agriculture Brian Stanley TD has called on Leo Varadkar to urgently engage with farmers in the beef sector.
 
Deputy Stanley was speaking in the Dáil this morning in relation to ongoing protests by beef farmers over a lack of progress in the beef sector.
 
Speaking earlier, Deputy Stanley said:
 
“It’s been over 6 weeks since the Beef Taskforce was supposed to have met and there has been no progress made.

“Fine Gael Minsiter Creed has sat on his hands and kicked the issue to touch claiming that ongoing issues are a matter for the courts and for the independent chairman of the Beef Taskforce.
 
“This is unacceptable. We need government to take a proactive stance to deal with these matters.
 
“The Beef Sector is in a crisis right now and we need the Taosieach to step in and save an the industry.
 
“We need to see the Beef Taskforce up and running again and that means all of the injunctions must being dropped.
 
“There can’t be a fair level playing field between factories and farmers while one side has legal action out on the other.
 
“We need to see Minister Creed and the Taoiseach getting off their hands and engaging with the different stakeholders because we’re at a standstill right now – as is much of Dublin today and last night.
 
“The protests which we have witnessed are as a direct result of the frustration and anger beef farmers are feeling with the lack of progress.
 
“We’re also calling on Fianna Fáil to speak up and to support Sinn Féin’s Beef Price Transparency Bill which would give transparency right throughout the supply chain to ensure everyone knows they are being given a fair price for their produce.”