Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

One item, but there are a few powerful mushroom suppliers, not a myriad of small operators. The Minister quoted Article 39 of the Lisbon treaty and pooh-poohed our inclusion of it in the debate. In debates within the EU, Article 39 is not getting the prominence it deserves. The Minister might be surprised to find out that the group that brought this issue to our attention comprised senior officials in the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development. They told us there was not enough pressure at a European level to ensure paragraph (b) was taken into account when all Article 39's other parts were being considered. We will make a submission based on this information. I have attended two meetings in the Commission this year. It seems to be ad idemwith us on this being an issue. I was heartened by the interest expressed by Commissioner-designate Phil Hogan in examining the power of the multiples. At least, that is what I took from his comments in a reply-----

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