Mr. Bobby Miller:

We would rather see Ireland look for GM-free status. As a country, we do not have GM-free status. There should be a debate about GM in this country to educate people. We hope it would be a level-headed debate about it. There can be a lot of propaganda about GM. It has its pros and cons. As of now, we have no interest in GM of any description in this county.

I will cover a couple of other points. Mr. Healy covered our costs. We are starting a pilot project with tillage farmers. Our biggest cost is machinery. We are starting a pilot project to reduce our costs from a machinery point of view. We need more research and development in this area. The tillage sector has been neglected as regards research and development. That would include GM. It would include every sector, for instance, a person's food grade. As a group, we are proactive about the way forward for the tillage sector.

The weather and climate were mentioned. As Mr. Cleary alluded, we are, if not carbon positive, at worst carbon neutral. By getting rid of the tillage sector, we are adding to this big bill that is coming down the road from Europe for being a carbon negative country. Therefore, there are many reasons, from environmental to traceability of food, to invest in the tillage sector.

A government's choice on how it feeds its country is being decided here as well. The quality of food should be paramount to a government. If we get rid of our tillage sector, we will be dependant on imports. I mentioned the Brazilian beef scandal previously. We would be leaving ourselves open to all this as a nation if we do not halt the slide of the tillage sector. A total of 85% of our income comes from the so-called cheque in the post, with only 15% of our income coming from our labour. At present, we are working for €1 or €2 an hour as farmers. Our income is on average just over €30,000, far less than average industrial wage. There are strikes, such as there were with teachers, Luas drivers and others looking for far more money. As far as we are concerned, we are being totally ignored in this sector. We had no voice up to now. Our aim as a group is to lead this sector out of the present doldrums.

If it does not change now, we will be eating sandwiches in a couple of years' time and we will not know the exact origin of what we will be putting in our mouths or in our children's mouths. Currently, 250,000 sandwiches a day are eaten in this country, the origins of which cannot be guaranteed. They are going into schools, the public sector and so forth. That is where they are headed at present. The problem is here already. It is up to Government to ensure its people are fed properly and have traceability of their food.