Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

Why do we need GM foods? There are many supporters of the technology but they are predominantly multinational companies, some manufacturers who stand to benefit from it, agro-chemical companies, seed producers and some processors. Clearly consumers have no interest in having GM foods available to them. I do not believe there is a strong case to be made for the acceptance of GM foods in this country. The usual answer in response to questions on the merits of GM foods is that they offer enormous potential to produce sufficient food to feed the starving millions. There are many political solutions to that question if we are serious about addressing it. The multinationals are clear winners in the GM debate. Consumers are against the idea of GM food and they see no need for this particular technology. Why then is Europe so tolerant of allowing GM crops to be grown and the food to be placed on the market? I do not believe there is currently a significant health issue. It would be wrong to suggest that is a substantial concern. There may be concerns about allergic reactions but it appears that currently, they are no more than already encountered by consumption of a number of other foodstuffs.

Why is the process needed in the first place and who stands to gain? The biotech companies developed an application and then went in search of a place in which to use it. It would be more convincing and a more credible argument with regard to their concerns for the starving millions if they had first identified the problem and then set about finding a solution to it.

It is important to separate out the value of investment in the technology which allows the development and indeed the monitoring of GM foods and related products from the value of such foods in our kitchens. We cannot put our heads in the sand in terms of our approach to the fundamental technology which has prompted and promoted the development of GM foods. It is important that we keep up to speed in that area but the lessons of fast-forwarded scientific developments which we have been informed about in the past should not be ignored.

Researchers engaged in animal and crop production by conventional methods have made the point that by investing exclusively or predominantly in the genetic aspects of food production, the traditional methods will suffer because the traditional support will be removed, sidetracked or refocused. We have not yet reached a point where it is wise or useful to discard such valuable older technologies, the traditional methods of animal and crop production. We have successfully used these methods for thousand of years. They have been modified gradually over the years while GM has gone from development to application in less than 20 years. That is a very short timeframe within which to examine its long-term effects.

My key point about GM foods is that there is a opportunity for Ireland in terms of marketing our foods if we are brave enough to say that Ireland should be a GM-free zone. We have to qualify exactly what that term means but regarding our contribution to or investment in promotion of GM foods we should think carefully about the implications.

Regarding the labelling of food, the consumer has a right to know that the food he or she has been offered can be traced and that all the ingredients in it are safe and acceptable. That should apply to all the ingredients right down to animal feed. The traceability of all ingredients is something which all consumers should be able to access. This debate on labelling has been rehearsed many times in the past few years. I glanced at some of the parliamentary questions tabled by myself and other Members in this House. Perhaps I should not say this but I have a certain sympathy for the people who must answer these questions because we ask them very frequently. I think the reason is that to a great extent we have the single transferable answer. The answers remain largely the same. The debate has moved on to a certain extent but not to the point where it should have gone.

A number of questions on labelling remain unanswered. A few baby steps have been taken in providing useful information on beef labelling, and that is all. The report produced on labelling in 2002 was substantial and the Minister of State highlighted some of the issues addressed in it. A number are still outstanding and I would not like to think that they would gather dust. I am always concerned when I hear that legislation will be introduced as soon as possible. That longfingers the issue and we must ask what is really meant by that phrase.

One aspect of the report which I welcome, and which the Minister of State addressed, is that all food labelling issues are now co-ordinated within the Food Safety Authority. That is useful. Traditionally they were spread across a number of Departments and it was a minefield to attempt to trace which Department one should refer to with regard to labelling aspects of foodstuffs. Very often it takes a crisis of some kind for progress on these reports. The outbreak of avian flu in Asia prompted the then Minister to insist on country of origin labelling for all poultry, whether sold loose or prepacked. Deputy Naughten already referred to this. It was possible to introduce that legislation rapidly. Why must there always be a crisis and a knee-jerk reaction before the information is provided or the legislation brought forward?

I ask the Minister to now consider fast-forwarding the labelling requirements, particularly in the catering trade, one of the big issues still outstanding. The information should be available in the catering trade for all, so that the consumer has a real choice. Two weeks ago we had a wake-up call when a suspected case of foot and mouth was reported in Carlow. Thankfully that proved to be a false alarm but it raised awareness again about the traceability of our animal feed and imported foods.

What controls are in place on the imports of animal feed from third countries? What controls are activated at airports about the illegal imports of food into Ireland? For anybody who has travelled to New Zealand or Australia there is a stark contrast in the regulations and controls on bringing in food from another country. It is high time for a review of the controls, or lack of controls, in place at Dublin Airport for example. Has anybody ever been apprehended for bringing foodstuffs in at the airport? Has anybody ever been asked to declare whether they have been on a farm in Europe or in any other country and therefore at risk of bringing in some animal disease from that environment? If so I have yet to meet him or her. Whenever I have come through Dublin Airport nobody has ever positively or proactively advised me to declare that I have been on a farm in another country. On a number of occasions I volunteered because I feel that is the responsible thing to do but nobody has ever asked me to do it. When we have another scare or outbreak it will be all hands on deck again and trade will be disrupted, the disinfectants will be lashed out again, the fire brigade mindset will set in and so on. We must stop those kind of events from happening.

The debate on agriculture and labelling should not be predicated on the hysteria over one package of unlabelled rashers, or one goat with BSE, for example. It should be targeted and focused on the future of the farming community, the need for diversity in agricultural enterprises, the need for rationalisation and the need for investment in farming and food technology to allow Ireland to remain competitive in what will undoubtedly be a global market, as it is already. Deputy Glennon referred to that and the significant competition which the fruit growers of north Dublin are experiencing. This situation is here to stay. Underpinning all of that is the right of every consumer to have a guaranteed supply of affordable food. They must also have the right to know from where foods have emanated.

Rural Ireland will be influenced in the next years by a number of factors that have not been significant in Irish agriculture in recent years. The Common Agricultural Policy will continue to be reformed and the new EU states will continue to impact on Irish agriculture, both in terms of opportunities for exports and competition for market share for other commodities. It is inevitable that the WTO talks will result in more liberal world trade. More farmers will seek off-farm employment and EU directives will continue to impact on Irish farming. Farmers whose holdings are no longer able to sustain a viable income with the current types of production will need to adjust to different enterprises and look at alternative crops, products or enterprises.

Agriculture has shifted away from intensive production towards rural development, protection of the environment and the production of safe, quality foods. Consumer demands will have to be met. Ireland must be poised to take advantage of a relatively unpolluted environment, with opportunities for marketing "healthy foods". In order to stay competitive in this climate the research base that will provide the vision and drive must be provided. Traditionally, Ireland had a strong research base for agricultural production both in animal and crop products. The European and international climate have changed and demands are different. We must adapt the research requirements to take account of those changes.

This country needs a viable rural community and a sustainable farming population. That population will have a different emphasis. This Government must look at ways of developing off-farm enterprises, promoting agri-tourism and considering alternative new enterprises such as organic farming. It must consider exploiting and taking best advantage of our strengths and investing in the development of healthy convenience foods which are competitive on the world market.

The demand for convenience foods has never been so great. There is a glut of such foods on the market but if one looks at the labels — which are useful in this context — and can interpret them, one would not always think of them in the first instance as being healthy. There is a market niche for healthy convenience foods and an opportunity for them to be marketed abroad.

Farmers are key players in protecting rural Ireland. It is within their scope to ensure a clean, unpolluted rural environment but for the farming community to deliver on this goal, it must be supported in terms of information, technological support, innovation and research. It is up to the Minister and her Department now to ensure that rural Ireland and the urban dweller, including all consumers, can benefit from a quality way of life and safe food products. I was very pleased to hear my colleagues in Fine Gael placing such welcome emphasis on the requirements and rights of the consumer.

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