Brittany Ferries exit spurs call for live export strategy
The goverment needs to move beyond short-term assurances and commit to a national plan to ensure resilience in the live export sector, an Offaly TD said.
Brittany Ferries recently announced its decision to end its livestock transport services from Ireland to France from this September.
Independent deputy Carol Nolan has claimed the withdrawal of this live export route has exposed the "troubling reality that Ireland has no coherent national strategy to protect the live export routes that underpin farm incomes and rural economic stability".
Live export
Deputy Nolan, who has already written to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon seeking urgent clarity for farmers and exporters, said the State’s response to date has been one of "reactive but not necessarily reassuring sympathy".
"The debate cannot be reduced to a question of whether Irish Ferries can absorb the additional demand or whether technical issues around calf feeding can be resolved, important as those elements are.
"They are in fact symptoms of a much larger problem, namely, that Ireland has allowed a critical part of its agri food supply chain to become entirely dependent on the commercial decisions of private operators, without any long term planning or resilience measures in place," Deputy Nolan said.
The TD called on the government to develop a national plan which sets out how live export capacity will be guaranteed, how competition will be maintained, and how Ireland will ensure uninterrupted access to EU markets regardless of commercial fluctuations.
She added that this plan should include structured engagement with operators, targeted incentives to attract additional services, and a clear framework for monitoring risks before they become crises.
"Farmers and exporters are now facing the consequences of a system that has been left to drift for years. When a single operator withdraws, the entire sector is thrown into uncertainty.
"That is strategic vulnerability that threatens market access and the livelihoods of farm families across this country," the TD added.
Strategic infrastructure
Deputy Nolan said that while some public representatives have focused on retaining existing services, the real challenge is to confront the "structural weakness" that has been allowed to develop.
"Ireland must treat live export routes with the same seriousness as other forms of strategic infrastructure.
"Without that shift in thinking, farmers will continue to be exposed to sudden shocks that undermine confidence and depress prices.
"We cannot continue pretending that live export routes are simply private commercial matters. They are essential arteries of rural economic life.
"When those arteries are weakened or disrupted, the impact is felt immediately," she said.
Vital role
Minister Heydon has said that while the live export trade is a private commercial activity, his department is "ready to assess and approve vessels that might be made available for transport of livestock out of Ireland".
He encouraged "all stakeholders to work on a collaborative approach with a view to addressing this issue".
"I am keenly aware of the vital role that live exports play in stimulating price competition and providing an alternative market outlet for farmers.
"I am acutely aware that this decision has the potential to cause difficulties for the industry," he said.
A spokesperson for Irish Ferries said the company is "not currently commenting on reports relating to Brittany Ferries' live animal export plans".
"The company’s freight department looks after bookings for those travelling with horses, other livestock or more than five pets," they added.
