Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

It is welcome that the EU will give the lead on this matter. However, the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach have acknowledged in the Chamber that they understand why people are concerned. People at home are concerned about unfair trading practices and intimidation within food supply, which is threatening indigenous domestic suppliers. Will the Government accept that the British model of a voluntary code of practice has been torn up and scrapped and that there is a need for a statutory code?

Last August, Deputy Creed and I introduced the Food (Fair Trade and Information) Bill which outlaws certain practices. That Bill deals very simply with the matter of unfair trading and intimidation by dominant players. Ultimately, the consumer will lose out if we do not take such measures.

I refer to labelling. It is not simply a matter of country of origin. There is misleading labelling across the range. The consumer who wishes to buy a product is entitled to proper information. There is only one thing worse than no information and that is misleading information, which is all we have at present.

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