Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Here we are again. This happens continuously. It happened in respect of the grass-fed beef protected geographical indication, PGI. It took the European Commission to force the Minister to move to ensuring the scheme is based on an all-Ireland basis because he said it was not possible to do so in the first instance. Here are we again in respect of an issue that has been raised with the Minister, not necessarily primarily by me but by farmers and merchants who have pointed out an anomaly that will be exploited by some and have a detrimental impact on North-South trade. I have asked what efforts he has made to put reciprocal arrangements in place.

He has made none. That is the answer to that question. Instead of acknowledging that, the Minister is being facetious on this. Does he recognise there will be some actors that will use the new scenario to bypass the very purpose of this order in the first place and that some will purchase in the North and will not be registered anywhere? What will that mean for the credibility of the database?