The chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine is considering the possibility of a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the current beef crisis dispute.

Chair of the committee Pat Deering said: “The beef crisis dispute that is taking place around the country is of concern to all our members, with a number already requesting to convene a meeting of the committee on this matter.

“The committee advocates within our parliamentary system and in wider public debate for the agri-food sector and scrutinises activities in the area, and we are concerned by the developments so evident in recent days, and their impact,” the Carlow-Kilkenny TD said.

“Ireland’s agricultural produce is among the finest in the world and is one of the cornerstones of our high-performing export sector.

With that in mind, its stability and the collaboration between the various stakeholders, including farmers, processors and everyone else involved, is critical.

The committee chair added that, given the complexity of the current situation, there is a particular onus on him to consider any proposal received to decide whether it would be in order from a procedural perspective for the committee to consider it.

He said: “To assist in deciding whether an early meeting should be convened, I have asked members to give notice in writing of any proposals specific to the dispute [as opposed to longer term issues that may require attention] for committee consideration.“

Members have until the close of business today, Friday, August 30, to submit their proposals for addressing this issue, and at that point an early meeting of the committee may be convened for Wednesday next, September 4.

Earlier this summer, the committee published a report on the future of the beef sector in the context of the Food Wise 2025 strategy which aims to increase the value of Irish agri-food exports to €19 billion per annum.