Mr. Michael Maloney:

It is a requirement of all of our quality assurance schemes that the feed used on farms, whether it be beef, dairy or pig farms, come from quality assured sources. We have a feed quality assurance scheme in place. Whether the feed comes from outside or within the country, it must come through a quality assurance scheme. We are confident, therefore, about the feed being used on quality assured farms. Under our quality assurance schemes, Bord Bia has responsibility for the quality assured farms, including 50,000 beef farms and nearly 18,000 dairy farms, all of which must source their feed from quality assured sources. We run the schemes or recognise them as meeting the requirements of our schemes.

On genetically modified, GM, products, we do not make any distinction under our quality assurance schemes between GM and non-GM foods. We do not require food to be GM or non-GM. We are conducting market research in the international marketplace to see what perspective international buyers have of GM foods with reference to the products we produce. That research is under way and we will analyse the results and take on board what we hear in the marketplace.