Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

The model to which the Minister of State aspires is the French model whereby one goes to the Carrefour for one's larger cheaper products and to the boulangerie for one's baguette and so on. The problem with the Irish model is that there is absolutely no transparency vis-á-vis profits. A lack of transparency vis-á-vis the profits of the larger multiples affects the relationship between the product, primary supplier and the retailer, thus allowing situations as that described by the Minister of State. Until we get that transparency we will not get a better deal for the primary producer resulting in a loss of jobs in this economy. We are already seeing this in the Border counties. Members are aware of what happened with Tesco.

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