Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2026
491. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a recent statement by a farmer representative organisation (details supplied); if he will engage with processors to ensure farmers receive a fair return that reflects market fundamentals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13918/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraNeither I nor my Department have any function in determining market prices for any commodity.
To ensure transparency for supply chain stakeholders, my Department publishes a weekly Meat Market Report which shows trends in cattle prices, factory throughput and live trade. This data is additional to other cattle statistics published by my Department, Bord Bia and the CSO. All this information is used to assess market conditions and developments and informs policy-making for relevant sectors.
My Department provides a range of schemes to support beef farmers. In Budget 2026, I secured €28m for the continuation of the National Beef Welfare Scheme. Similarly, budget funding of €4m has been allocated for another iteration of the National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme which will support farmers rearing progeny from the dairy herd.
Strengthening farm incomes for our 130,000 family farms is an absolute priority for this Government. I am fully committed to supporting the suckler, beef and other sectors with vital farm schemes and my Department will continue to provide schemes with straightforward measures to ensure farmer participation.
