By Dan Walsh
Wexford Independent TD Verona Murphy made a strong speech in the Dáil on Wednesday warning the Government about the future of the supply chain when there will be queues of 7,000 trucks post-Brexit lasting for days and she is urging the Government to set up a daily ferry service from Ireland to France immediately.
Deputy Murphy said; “The Tánaiste stated they should think about their supply chain and if they are using the land bridge of Britain to get to continental Europe, they need to think about how that is going to work and talk to their suppliers and haulage and transport companies. I will offer my advice for the umpteenth time. The Government must take its head out of the sand. The land bridge will NOT work, and the Government needs to put in place a fast, efficient daily ferry service from Ireland to France now.
“What is wrong with the Government? It is telling people to think about something for which there is already a solution. It appears it is not thinking about it so I will say again that “fast and efficient” means the shortest, most viable option to mainland Europe and that comes from Rosslare to Le Havre or Cherbourg. It also needs to operate daily.
Deputy Murphy continued; “The flour and the sugar that is needed to bake bread in Ireland daily is imported. When the baking line is stalled because the product is sitting in a queue and people cannot bake bread, will the Minister and the rest of the Twitter gang be making videos apologising to the business owners and staff of Irish Pride in Taghmon. Will they make videos apologising for the fact that the price of a loaf of bread has risen to €3? That will be the result of the Government’s passive attitude.
“Irish consumers will pay the price. What will the Minister tell the fresh fish exporters of Duncannon, Kilmore and Killybegs when the fish is in a queue in the UK rotting in a trailer? What will he tell the owners and staff of Kelly’s Hotel in Rosslare, the Talbot Hotel, Clayton Whites Hotel and Whitford House Hotel in Wexford town, the Riverside Park Hotel in Enniscorthy and all the other Wexford hotels when there is no more traffic coming from the UK tourists and the Government has failed to make an effort to replace those UK tourists by putting a daily direct ferry in place to mainland Europe for EU visitors to Ireland? All of this can be avoided if this Government puts a daily service to mainland Europe in place in time and that time is now,” concluded Deputy Murphy.
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