Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

Tá áthas orm an deis a fháil cúrsaí bia agus feirmeoireachta a phlé sa Dáil. Gabhaim buíochas le Fine Gael, an Teachta Michael Creed go háirithe, as a gcuid ama a chur ar fáil don díospóireacht seo. Gabhaim buíochas freisin le Teachtaí eile, ar nós an Teachta Seán Sherlock, as a gcuid tuairimí luachmhara ar an gceist. Cuirim fáilte roimh ráiteas an Aire aréir chomh maith. Ba mhaith liom cúpla rud a rá mar gheall ar lipéidí, go háirithe de bharr gur iad sin croílár na ceiste anseo anocht.

The first demand of consumers is that the food they eat must be safe. The Government is committed to the highest standards of food safety. The acceptance of Irish food products in so many markets around the world is a clear vote of confidence. It was not clear from the debate last night if Opposition Deputies wanted the Minister, Deputy Coughlan, to ban imports of Brazilian beef from the entire EU or just from Ireland. It seemed to be a mixture of both. I must reiterate the reality of the issue. The fact is that Ireland is a member of the EU and, as such, must work within its rules. It is the European Commission which is charged with determining the countries permitted to trade in animal products with the EU. Nonetheless, as we heard last night, the Minister, Deputy Coughlan, has made numerous representations to the EU Commissioner for Health, Mr. Kyprianou, emphasising the importance of applying EU policy that requires that imports of animal products from outside the EU meet standards at least equivalent to those required for production in, and trade between, EU member states.

The Commissioner has assured the Minister, Deputy Coughlan, that the Commission will not hesitate to take the appropriate protection measures if a product, imported from a third country represents a risk for the health of EU consumers, livestock or plants. In this context, the Commission relies on reports of the EU Food and Veterinary Office. The Food and Veterinary Office is scheduled to undertake another mission to Brazil next month and I await the outcome of that visit with interest.

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