Industrial action at the Department of Agriculture has resulted in chaos in services, the Fianna Fail agriculture spokesman, Mr Brian Cowen, said. One of the most acute problems was the inability to obtain movement permits needed to trade in livestock, he said in an adjournment debate.
The Minister, Mr Yates, called on the Civil and Public Services Union to call off its action and allow talks to proceed to resolve the dispute. They should at least allow testing and movement of animals, particularly at this time when food quality was at a premium.