Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will be as brief as I can. I have a new question for the Minister. My question concerns the Department's role in clarifying what I would describe as misguided information. I refer to a programme that is currently on RTÉ, namely, "What Planet are You On?". There have been three episodes of the programme to date and there is one more to come. It is creating a ferocious furore in the agricultural sector. Its anti-meat stance is beyond belief.

What role does the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have in this debate? This is a national broadcaster, paid for by licence fees. There is a conversation, particularly in rural Ireland, about this programme going unchecked, and it is beyond belief at this stage. I appeal to the Minister to get directly involved with the debate as there is appalling misinformation out there. We need a counterbalance as otherwise this could be like one of those celebrity shows where the challenge is not to drink water or points are gained for not showering or eating meat. It is a bizarre programme in many ways and it is doing major damage to the good work being done, particularly by rural people with agricultural operations. I appeal to the Minister and his Department's communications network to get involved.