Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

That is all very fine but last week the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food heard a presentation from Mr. Jim Power. He highlighted the fact that 100,000 jobs are in jeopardy because of unfair trading circumstances. Last week's report from Food and Drinks Industry Ireland highlighted our cost base in waste, energy and labour, but also the need for fair trade legislation to outlaw current practices. This will drive down the profits. While everybody else has to show their margins, the retailers do not publish theirs. There is no legislation in place to underpin it. There is no sheriff. This is the wild west of the sector. It is worth €11 billion nationally, and nobody is policing it.

Unless we do something it will be too late. These jobs create extra jobs. It is estimated that 230,000 people work in this sector. One can talk about schemes, initiatives and Cabinet sub-committees, but people are losing their jobs every week and others are in danger of losing their jobs. The Minister mentioned initiatives for companies that are sound and trading abroad. There are hundreds of smaller processors trading in this country. In this week's Irish Farmers Journal Dr. Pat Wall made the point about country of origin. He said that is not a buy Irish campaign. There is a serious resistance on the part of the Government and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to initiate a country of origin campaign and that, in itself, is educational.

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