Post European Council Meeting: Statements
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-22
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Martin Kenny (SF), Sligo-Leitrim

As the Minister of State knows, we are living in very uncertain and volatile times across the world, in particular with conflicts in so many places around the globe. We are all very aware of the impact this is having, in particular on fuel prices and other commodities in Ireland. It is all having a knock-on effect on food prices and the food chains in the European Union. I am sure these are issues that are to the forefront of everyone's mind.
I want to concentrate on the beef industry. The volume of Irish beef exports fell by 5% in 2025, and across the European Union, beef exports fell by 2.2%. The volume of Irish beef exported to the UK fell by 5%. EU beef production is expected to decline by a further 1% this year. There has been an increase in beef imports from countries outside of the European Union, the majority of which comes from Mercosur countries, even before the Mercosur trade agreement comes into place.
An EU-Australia trade deal is coming up, which will see 30,000 tonnes of beef coming into the European Union. The EU must reverse the decline in beef production and not leave us in a position whereby we are dependent on importing food from the other side of the world. Irish and EU food is produced to the highest standards from an environmental and animal welfare point of view. Given the volatility in the world, it does not make sense to leave EU food security in such a vulnerable position. Sacrificing it for guns is not an option. Many people in Europe fear that is what is happening. A farmer recently asked me who would feed Ursula von de Leyen's army. That is the kind of impact this is having on people.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:51+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-22