Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

Responsibility for issues relating to the cultivation of genetically modified, GM, crops in Ireland rests with my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, while responsibility for GM foods rests with the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly. I have responsibility for issues relating to GM animal feed and, should it arise, the cultivation of authorised GM crops alongside conventional crops.

The use of authorised GM ingredients plays an important role in the supply of protein feed materials at affordable prices for the Irish livestock industry. In the mid to late 1990s Irish livestock farmers, in tandem with livestock farmers in many of the peripheral EU member states - particularly Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom - began to consider using higher-protein by-products from the US milling and distilling industries as the most cost-effective way of providing animal feed nutrition. Consequently, imports of maize gluten and distillers' dried grains from the US increased sharply in the decade 1996 to 2006, reaching a figure of almost 900,000 tonnes by 2006. The pig and poultry industries were also using increased imports of soya for similar reasons. Soybean is the main feed material used to balance protein content and quality in animal feed rations.

To address the changing situation and deal with the legitimate concerns being expressed by many European citizens, the EU enacted a suite of new legislation with safety and scientific assessment by the European Food Safety Authority, EFSA, being a central plank of the new procedures. On receipt of a positive opinion from EFSA of a proposal from a biotechnology company, the Commission would bring forward the authorisation proposal for consideration by the relevant regulatory committee. Each member state has an expert present at each committee. If a qualified majority vote is not achieved, either for or against the proposal, at the regulatory committee, the proposal is then referred to the Council of Ministers for consideration.

The Deputy will get a copy of my full reply so he will have it. In essence, the issue is that the Irish livestock industry, irrespective of whether one specialises in pigs, poultry, cattle or dairy, relies on protein, primarily from across the Atlantic, with GM content. Soybean meal is a good example. Up to 80% of US soybean meal has some GM content. Before it can be allowed to be used here, it must go through a very rigorous approval process. If it passes all the EU's food safety tests, I have no difficulty with it. If it does not pass them, we do not allow it into the country.

See this speech in context