Fears large pig farmers to be compensated at workers’ expense

FEARS were last night raised that leading pig farmers could benefit to the tune of €1 million each under the Government compensation package while ordinary workers are ignored.

Labour’s agriculture spokesman Seán Sherlock expressed concern ministers had still not come forward with any details of how taxpayers’ money is to be distributed to farmers hit by the dioxin scare — which saw all pig products withdrawn from supermarket shelves.

Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith was criticised last month for rushing legislation through the Dáil to release the first €50m in compensation to processors affected by the recall of pork products without a firm framework for how the money would be divided.

Mr Smith’s spokesperson insisted negotiations with the industry were continuing and they hoped to be finalised next week.

However, Mr Sherlock claimed that the secrecy surrounding the talks was strange.

“I’m concerned about the delay and the lack of details, we need to know where every penny is coming from and where it is going.

“We must ensure the ordinary workers involved in processing and pig farming, who have had a major loss of income, are not left out in all this.

“There is a potential here for some major pig farmers to be given compensation of between €750,000 to €1m; we need to know who those people are,” he said.

The money will be the first tranche of some €180m to be paid out for the recall, which significantly damaged the reputation of the Irish farming industry at home and around the world.

Fine Gael’s Michael Creed also criticised the “vague” approach adopted by the Government regarding the compensation package.

Food Minister Trevor Sargent tried to explain the lack of detail when legislation went through the Dáil before Christmas, claiming there had not been time to flesh out the plan because money had to be released quickly.

He stressed the fund would be available to primary and secondary processors.

Mr Sherlock said he would raise the matter at next week’s meeting of the Oireachtas agriculture committee.

“There are no details of the compensation package as yet,” a spokesperson for the minister said.