Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

On behalf of my party I join in congratulating the Minister on his appointment and also the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen.

The reason for the question is the degree of uncertainty which is having a marked result in this country in that we are now paying more for food. Families are paying much more for staple items and that gives rise to the question. If the WTO deal goes through as it is constituted, that will have a further uncertainty for food production throughout the European Union into the future. Many people are asking whether the Government has a coherent policy. Irish farmers and food producers will be asking whether that €8.6 billion in exports will be compromised in any way if global trends continue as they are. We are trying to elicit whether, notwithstanding the CAP health check and the FAO agenda on a global basis, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has a coherent strategy on the way forward for Irish producers to attain some degree of self-sufficiency — and ensure we take a long-term view on food production in Ireland. That is the premise of the question.

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