81. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is putting a fund in place to help offset the cost of live exports of animals in view of the extra cost incurred for vaccines and PCR tests for live exporters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20960/26]

Sentiment score: 0.14

Is the Minister putting a fund in place to offset the cost of live exports with the new requirements from different countries for PCR tests and vaccines? I ask him to make statement on the matter.

Sentiment score: 0.01

I thank the Minister's Department for getting the health certs done in each country. I am not debating whatsoever what other countries do, and I agree with him that other countries set this down. However, the fact is that other countries in Europe have brought in funds to help with exporting. The Minister will be aware that in some of those countries, first, you have to quarantine and, second, you have to do either PCR tests or vaccines. A vaccine, no matter how you go, is €15. The Minister knows as well as I do that we need a live export trade. In fairness to the live exporters, they go out and source the market. It is not Bord Bia that does it for them. They source those markets themselves. They do not have the same representation as the likes of the meat factories would have abroad. The Minister will have seen over recent weeks, especially since Christmas, the way the factories look at the charts in the league of meat prices throughout Europe. We are at the bottom now and the factories are basically taking advantage. We need live exports. I know the Minister is in favour of them but, as regards the extra cost, no one saw this coming. Yes, exporters have to pay for boats and everything else, but these are new costs put on top of them. Would the Minister consider a fund?

Sentiment score: 0.13

I understand fully what the Minister says. The certificates are done by other countries but, in fairness to anybody exporting, there was no quarantining when exporting four months ago. Trade is trade. Whether it is a farmer or an exporter going for it, good luck. That keeps the price up. That is the good part of that. Four months ago, however, this was not needed. This is a new regulation that has been brought in. Yes, the Minister is right that it is other countries that want it - I do not disagree whatsoever - but with the number of cattle being exported, if they have to be PCR tested and have to have everything done with them in the line of vaccination, it will cost a lot of money. If there were all that much money to be got out of it, everyone in exporting would be a multimillionaire, but the fact is that there is not. This is another layer that you either have to try to knock out of the guy buying it in some other country or take the hit. Will the Department sit down with exporters and try to work out a cohesive plan?

Sentiment score: 0.10