Ned O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)

On her return from a conference in Denmark about animal disease Dr. Upton came to meet me in the Higher Education Authority and although I did not know anything about her politics or background, I was most impressed with the interview and information she gave me which was not the real issue on the day. Many of the things she told me about animal disease and the food industry stand out in my mind six years later.

I ask the Minister of State to explain why we cannot have the country of origin on our labels, to tell me how the levies are going and what is will do about them. Can he explain also why he backed away from creating a national food agency to develop an Irish food industry for the future, based on the looming crisis of the two-speed Europe.

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