Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the various representatives from the two Departments, the FSAI and the EPA.

GM foodstuffs are not new. Genetic modification is an emerging theory which brings potential but also limitations and dangers. The use of GMOs is a concern for consumers. It may not be the topic of many conversations but, ultimately, it will reflect in the foodstuffs that consumers eat, whether that is in the form of animals fed with GM processed foods or the GM processing or engineering of human foodstuffs.

There is a cultural dynamic at play here also. As humans do we want to eat food that is natural and that comes from traditional agricultural methods or do we want to eat food that is engineered in some other way, through human, technological or biotechnological intervention? This is the question for consumers. While we can dress up the issue as providing the consumer with a choice, we must reflect on the cultural dynamic before moving on and saying that by providing GM foods, we are giving consumers a choice.

If we accept that argument, we are in some way giving in to the major companies, Monsanto and other global institutions, which are positioning themselves on the world stage to be larger than countries, by acquiring the possibility of feeding nations through genetically modified food and feedstuffs, whether for human or animal consumption, in the future. This scares me. I come from a food science background and am well aware of some of the research which has been carried out over the past 15 or 20 years by companies such as Monsanto. I have friends who work in that sector, in biotechnology and elsewhere, who are making a healthy living from it. However, what scares me is that we do not know where it is going to end.

Much research has been done in this area by PhD students and others, some of which has been positive and some negative. The ship is out in regard to the future. I agree there will be a huge global demand for food because of increasing populations. How are we as policy makers to prepare to meet that demand? Should we give in to the fact that multinational players can provide food or should we consider more conventional, traditional methods of providing food? As a committee representing the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I presume we would promote the more traditional system of providing or developing foodstuffs first.

I will now put some questions to the witnesses, in particular to the representatives from the Department. Reference was made to the demand for genetically modified feedstuffs. The last slide shown by Dr. McLoughlin showed that more than 50% of imported grain here is derived from GM soya and GM maize products. Is that the case? To what extent do our feed and grain manufacturing plants use GM sourced raw materials currently? In the eyes of the Department, what is the current situation and what does it expect it to be in future, taking on board the available agricultural land here? What efforts are being made to try to promote and protect our traditional farming, grain and tillage farmers, in developing their enterprises rather than import grain? Has the Department considered doing this? What is the position regarding issues such as the environment, health, ethics and declining rural areas versus the importation of GM sourced grain? These are just general questions.

In regard to the European proposals, the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Health seem to have taken the view that the proposals are somewhat prohibitive. Is that due to the fact that they are predominantly more process specific than product specific and that countries have difficulties in opting out?

Article 34 states:

member states may adopt measures restricting or prohibiting the use of products referred to in Article 3(1) and 15(1) authorised pursuant to this Regulation provided that such measures are:

(a) reasoned and based on compelling grounds in accordance with Union law which shall, in no case, conflict with the risk assessment carried out pursuant this Regulation;

(b) proportional and non-discriminatory.

I presume if both Departments are not accepting where the Commission is coming from, submissions have been made to the Commission. Has either the Minister for Health or the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine raised a concern at Council level ? What has been the level of dialogue? Is there a view within the Department of Health on health implications of genetically modified sources or processed foodstuffs coming into the human food chain in Ireland? Ultimately, it will end in the human food chain if we are sourcing raw material to be fed to animals. What is the view of the Department of Health on some of the conflicting research material, both within Europe and the United States, with respect to the implications for human health from that?

These are a few general points but it is a large and evolving area. It is a financially lucrative area, which worries me. While accepting that we need genetically modified foods to feed our animals in this country because we are not self-sufficient in Europe or Ireland, we are only providing ourselves with one option. Have other options been considered, such as helping our own grain farmers and industry to develop? I touched on what Ministers have done at Council level as I would like to know what has been happening there.

A proposal came before us at the last committee, COM 2015/0093, but has there been any initial feedback from the Departments of Health and Agriculture, Food and the Marine to the Commission on that?