Longford MEP Ciaran Mullooly to host public meeting on livestock transport crisis

MEP Ciaran Mullooly is set to host public meeting on the livestock transport crisis, he has announced.

The decision to call a public meeting follows discussions on Friday afternoon between Mr Mullooly, Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice and the Chief Executive of Brittany Ferries, Christophe Mathieu.

During the discussions the shipping chief Mr Mathieu explained that the activities of a small group of 25 protestors at Portsmouth Port had contributed to the decision being taken by the company.

Mr Mathieu described the disruption as “making an absolute shambles” of the company’s Portsmouth operations on a daily basis.

He said that Brittany Ferries had tried everything to control the situation including contacting the local police authorities in Portsmouth, the port authorities, and the Irish embassy in Paris, yet nobody had offered any help to them to deal with the situation.

Mr Mathieu stated that he was aware of claims by protestors that the European Commission was critical of the Irish Government’s record on live animal transport, but he said he had not seen any evidence of this.

He stated that the protestors seemed to think that they had the backing of the European Commission despite the fact that there had been no inspection carried out at any stage by European Commission officials on any of their boats.

Mr Mullooly said the only inspections that had been carried out were those by the Irish Department of Agriculture and that there were no complaints pending against Brittany Ferries relating to animal mistreatment on its live exports.

He said the situation was very difficult and that the protesters were disrupting the activities for all other passengers, but nobody did anything in the UK to try and assist them with the situation.

Responding to Mr Mullooly and Deputy Fitzmaurice, Mr Mathieu said he certainly was prepared to take part in a working group with the authorities from France, the UK, Ireland and the European Commission to consider how security at Portsmouth port could be reviewed.

Mr Mullooly said he thought it was important that an urgent meeting take place at the port to ensure that the rule of law is respected.

He said, “This was absolutely crucial because of the value of the €400 million trade to the Irish economy.”

Deputy Fitzmaurice said that “It was unacceptable that the activities of a small group of people would be hampering and intimidating Brittany Ferries into taking this decision.”

He stated it was “time for the authorities to stand up and enforce the rule of law because of the seriousness of the situation”.

Deputy Fitzmaurice and Mr Mullooly said it was their intention to ask the Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon to raise this issue at the highest level with the UK Government and with the European Commission and call an urgent meeting between the four parties involved to work towards resolving the situation.

The public meeting will bring together farmers, livestock exporters, hauliers, farming organisations, and other interested stakeholders to examine the implications of the decision and discuss the urgent action required at both national and European level.

Ahead of the meeting, Mr Mullooly said the withdrawal of Brittany Ferries represents a significant challenge for Irish agriculture and raises serious questions about Ireland's practical access to the EU Single Market.

"I am deeply concerned about the evolving situation with regard to live exports, particularly following the announcements made this week. I understand that Brittany Ferries has the capacity to carry nine livestock trucks, which can transport approximately 250 calves per sailing. There is currently no other ship capable of accommodating this level of livestock transport. The result, unless the Minister for Agriculture intervenes, will be a permanent reduction in Ireland's livestock export capacity.”

"This is about far more than the withdrawal of one commercial operator. As an island Member State, Ireland depends on reliable maritime links to access European markets. Without adequate transport capacity, Irish farmers cannot fully benefit from the rights and opportunities that the Single Market is intended to provide."

MEP Mullooly said urgent engagement is now required between all of the key stakeholders to find a practical solution, particularly in the short term.

"The Minister needs to bring the key figures into the one room and work towards a solution, at least in the short term. We need all of those directly involved in the livestock export chain around the table so that the practical obstacles can be identified and addressed.

"I am working closely with my colleague Michael Fitzmaurice of Independent Ireland to try to assist in finding a way forward. We would be prepared to act as an intermediary if that is necessary.

"The important issue here is protecting Ireland's critical live animal export business. We cannot allow a situation to develop where there is simply not enough maritime capacity to get Irish livestock to key European markets."

MEP Mullooly has already written to both the Taoiseach and the European Commission seeking urgent clarification on how Ireland's access to the Single Market will be protected.

More than 200,000 Irish calves have already been exported to mainland Europe this year, and the loss of a major transport provider has the potential to reduce capacity, increase costs and weaken the competitiveness of Irish livestock producers.

The meeting follows confirmation by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon that Brittany Ferries intends to cease transporting livestock from Rosslare to Cherbourg from September.

While the Minister has indicated that his department is prepared to assess and approve alternative vessels, significant concerns remain regarding whether sufficient replacement capacity can be secured in time.

Mr Mullooly said the public meeting will provide an opportunity for those directly affected to outline their concerns and contribute to finding practical solutions.

"Ireland's livestock producers meet some of the highest animal health and welfare standards in Europe. Once those standards are met, they must have a practical means of reaching customers across mainland Europe.

"The Single Market cannot exist in principle but fail in practice because of Ireland's geographical position.

“We need urgent action to ensure that the necessary transport infrastructure and capacity is available to support our livestock farmers and exporters.

"This meeting is about ensuring that the voices of farmers, exporters, hauliers and everyone involved in this critical sector are heard as we continue to press both the Irish Government and the European Commission for meaningful action."

Further details of the public meeting, including the venue and date will be announced shortly.