Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

On 29 September last, the Irish Farmers Journal reported that Reox Holdings, a subsidiary of Dairygold, was in the process of selling Breeo Foods. Breeo Foods carries top brands such as Dairygold, Shaws, Galtee Meats, Roscrea, Mitchelstown, Calvita and Sno. These brands are long-established in the minds of consumers and are perceived to be Irish in origin and content. The truth is otherwise and some of these brands are marketed in a way that suggests they are Irish. In the minds of pig producers and workers in Mitchelstown and beyond, the closure of Galtee Foods was as a direct result of substantial transformation.

If there is to be no provision in Irish law to amend legislation in the short term, the Government should ensure that labelling, through a proper marketing strategy by Bord Bia, will be implemented clearly. The Government must also allow open access to those plants that are being marketed by Bord Bia to ensure that the content of all produce is as it says on the packet or tin. I am not ashamed to say we must protect our national interest. We have a comparative advantage over other countries and we must maintain this competitive edge. The future of Irish agriculture depends upon it.

It is not my job to criticise the Government for the sake of criticism but it is necessary to critically assess its response to agricultural issues as they arise. The Labour Party is not against the science of genetic modification and does not adopt a fundamentalist view thereon. We believe biotechnology can coexist with natural biodiversity without compromising the latter. It is in this context that we seek to ensure that the competitiveness of Irish agriculture is maintained. With that in mind, it is beyond our comprehension that the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food chose to abstain from a crucial vote on genetically modified animal feeds at a meeting of the European Council of Ministers in Brussels last month. The Minister's logic for this abstention, that is, that it did not affect the eventual outcome, is beyond belief.

We welcome the fact that the European Commission will move to approve genetically modified feed imports. The internal party machinations of the Green Party are of no concern to us. What is of concern to us is the need to ensure that the EU scientific committee moves at a pace that is in keeping with the market and provides for a level playing pitch for Irish agriculture. The Government's intransigence on this issue, by way of abdicating its responsibility, is grossly negligent and undermines our ability to negotiate on further matters of this nature.

We support the Fine Gael motion. It marks a pragmatic approach to the best means of maintaining the competitiveness of Irish agriculture while protecting the right of consumers to perfect knowledge of their purchases and ensures that Irish farming families can compete on a level playing pitch.

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