Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)

The two most important items in this motion are the protection of consumers and farmers by introducing a comprehensive labelling legislation and the banning of substandard imports, and the protection of consumers and farmers by closing the legal loopholes allowing foreign produce to be passed off as Irish.

The Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, has stated that "the necessity for well-regulated labelling of foodstuffs has never been greater". Has the Minister of State read the report, The Labelling of Food in Ireland 2007? He has indicated he had read this. The CEO of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Dr. John O'Brien, as recently as last Monday clearly outlined four examples which the Minister of State has clearly ignored.

One example was that fish sold as cod was actually pollack and another was that 25% of honey labelled as Irish is imported. Another example was that gluten-free breakfast cereals had high levels of gluten in them. If the Minister of State was serious about the contents of his address, he would not have mentioned that particular report.

I have previously spoken of Bord Bia, a statutory body with responsibility for food labelling on Irish products.

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