Laois-Offaly independent TD Carol Nolan put forward a motion for the establishment of an independent beef regulator in Dáil Eireann on Wednesday morning.

Nolan said: “I know the Minister commissioned three separate reports from Grant Thornton, on this very issue, at a cost of over €120,000.

“The only ones that are happy with them is Meat Industry Ireland and when Meat Industry Ireland is happy, there's a serious problem."

Viable farms

Representing the Government, Fine Gael’s Peter Burke responded to the motion, repeating commitments in the programme for government to establish a national food ombudsman.

“It is absolutely a key requirement of Government and a key ambition to ensure viability in our family farms, and I will work with Minister Martin Heydon and others to do my utmost to ensure that comes to fruition,” Burke said.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture Matt Carthy criticised the use of beef by retailers as a ‘loss leader’.

“Retailers alongside the processors are making ever-increasing profits and therein lies the big secret of Irish agriculture that there's money to be made in beef,” Carthy said.

“The problem is that that money isn't going to the people who are doing all the work, such as our local farmers. It’s going to the likes of Larry Goodman and multinational retail giants.”