Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

I am not, as the Deputy may have implied, always on the road. I met representatives of all the multiples as soon as I took office, recognising the need to secure access to market for local producers. We have a great deal of work to do to deliver the outcomes Deputy Sherlock and I would like in this regard. As I indicated in Mullingar, notwithstanding the research referred to in the question, one of the difficulties is that the word "local" in this context is not legally defined and many people are not as local as they claim to be. This confuses the issue.

I will recommend that produce features a harvest date to assist consumers. For example, if a person finds broccoli from north County Dublin beside broccoli from California, it will be obvious from the harvest date that the product from my constituency will be fresher than that from the United States. We need to develop this and other areas to ensure real communication takes place on what "local" means, as confusion reigns on this issue. With 93% of respondents to the survey indicating a desire to buy local produce to support the local economy, it is important we avoid disappointing members of the public. To this end, we must ensure the word "local" means local.

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