Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I apologise to Mr. Healy for having to step out and miss his presentation. When he talked about the beef sector he did not talk about inputs. I do not know whether that is relevant. I know how hard it is to try to decide which parts to discuss, but in the interests of setting the record straight about what is happening in the industry, it might be useful to shed some light on that.

My colleague, Senator Mary Ann O'Brien, asked me to convey her apologies for her absence but she asked me to ask a question about the fair trade legislation. It is probably best directed to Mr. Dempsey. She asked what that legislation might comprise. Mr. Dempsey gave us quite a clear picture of that. Could his notes or presentation be made available, in light of the fact that some members of the committee are not present? The slides are available but the witness obviously elaborated, so would that be possible? Some of what he said is challenging and interesting. Senator O'Brien wanted to know if Mr. Dempsey's organisation would be conducting a detailed briefing in advance of the grocery competition authority legislation this term. She also wanted to know why the Lily O'Brien's logo was missing from the slide. As she said: "Never miss an opportunity for a plug." Who could blame her?

The issue I wish to raise with Mr. Dempsey is obesity. Clearly, it is an issue that will tax all of us over the coming years. He is right to say it is a complex issue. In many ways, that word could also be taken to mean that the things being offered as solutions, such as a fat tax, sugar tax and so forth, are not attractive to the industry. His default position is, therefore, that it is a complex issue: "We do not like that solution so we will call it complex and wait for a different solution that suits us better." It is something on which every side, including the political one, will have to collaborate. I accept that. However, there has been a great deal of evidence to show that some taxes work.

I do not suggest the imposition of a blanket tax because I agree with Mr. Shane Dempsey that this is complex. Nevertheless, I note the Seanad Public Consultation Committee held hearings on cancers and on how it is an undisputed fact that in the case of 30% of cancers, lifestyle changes can contribute enormously to the prevention of those so-called common cancers. Moreover, lifestyle is largely down to diet and exercise. As the food industry knows all this, I get the impression it is slightly out of step on the health issue and is waiting for a solution that would be more cost-effective for the industry. I wonder about that and about whether we are genuine about caring about obesity and the enormous cost it has across the board for all taxpayers.

As for whether the industry must take more of a lead in this regard, I have been paying attention to this issue and believe the industry has, in a sense, been waiting and therefore opts for the word, "complex" to enable it to sit back and wait. I also agree with Mr. Dempsey that it must be based on scientific fact and so on. However, as my colleague, Senator O'Neill, referred to damned statistics, lies and so on, while there is of course a body of evidence to suggest such taxes do not work, there also is a body to suggest they do. While Mr. Dempsey has rightly pointed to the ones that show they do not work, I rightly suggest a body of evidence exists to support them.

This issue will be key to the manner in which the industry develops in the near future. As a food scientist, I am old enough to remember when someone came to talk to us as students in University College Cork about the idea of food additives and flavourings and how novel that was at the time. I am showing my age but that was at a time when it was almost a new thing to add things to food. I am not quite that old but am old enough to understand that as we have raced away with technology, which has brought enormous benefits in respect of food, there is a down-side that is obvious in the supermarkets. Some food with fat and sugar is cheaper and there is a real danger that this is not the direction in which we should be going. I do not expect an answer straight away - I do not believe there is one - but I wish to ascertain the degree of responsibility in this regard the representatives of the food industry believe themselves to have. Does it have 20% or 50% responsibility in respect of how we as a community should proceed into the future? In the interest of the health of everyone present at this meeting and of that of their children and so on, how should we proceed and where does the food industry sit in that regard?