Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)

One of the matters I want to inform the Minister about is that no decision was made at the stage that Carlow was closed down regarding the decision of the Commission. The reality is the former Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food said within a couple of days of her entering that Department that the decision on Carlow would have no impact on the closure of the industry. When Carlow went, the industry was gone. It does not matter whether the Minister likes that or not.

I agree with some of what Deputy Nolan said. In my view, however, there was a conspiracy because Greencore saw dollar, euro and pound signs. The company got the compensation and the then Minister facilitated it. She made it easy for it to put the steps in place. With Carlow gone, the only thing left to go was Mallow and that was easy. Greencore got the money and ran. The company was going to build towns and all the Government saw at that stage was the tax take from construction and development, and capital taxes and all that goes with it.

I am a beet producer who got compensation. It worked out at less than two years' profit and in the scheme of the things, it was nothing. The report asked if the reform of the sugar market has achieved its main objectives. The answer to that is "No", according to the Court of Auditors. I ask the Minister not to sell out other sectors of Irish agriculture in the same way as he, and his predecessors, sold out the sugar beet industry.

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