Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The objective of the office is to bring transparency to the food supply chain, assess what is going on in the marketplace and report on it. Under EU regulations and through its farm survey, Teagasc would carry out a detailed assessment of the cost of producing various agricultural products. It already does a lot of that work. It does so under regulation and in accordance with the law. It will be available to the food regulator.

The Deputy's amendment refers to "the costs associated with the production of different foodstuffs". What does "different foodstuffs" mean? This is what the Deputy is saying should be put into primary legislation, but I am saying the office is being set up to achieve the required transparency, gather all the information that exists and work from and complement the information we have. The amendment requires the insertion of the following: "The regulator shall collate the costs associated with the production of different foodstuffs in order to determine a cost-of-production, and publish reports on such on an annual basis." I envisage people sitting in offices considering this foodstuff, that foodstuff and every other foodstuff and producing reports every year to comply with the legislation. What would this actually achieve and mean for the farmer at the farm gate? The body needs to be effective, and that is why we are setting it up as I have described. I do not believe the Deputy's amendment would achieve anything.