Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I realise the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has been particularly busy in recent times but I refer the Minister of State to a suggestion in the form of a proposal currently under discussion by the BAI, namely, the children's commercial communication code, under section 42 of the 2009 Act, which, if implemented, will in effect ban the advertising of cheese on television and radio before 9 p.m. This is a case of regulation and bureaucracy gone mad and I ask the Minister of State present to use his good offices to introduce an element of common sense into this debate.

I agree with a recent submission by the National Dairy Council and with the Irish Farmers Association that in this case the BAI should row back. There is very little in terms of link between moderate consumption of cheese products and obesity. I am very surprised at the level of bureaucracy involved in that cheese, as a product, should be treated in the same way as sugary confectionery or Coca-Cola. There is a certain nutritional value attached to cheese; I refer specifically to the calcium content therein. If cheese is banned as unsuitable viewing before 9 p.m. we are sending out the wrong message, with particular reference to our thriving dairy industry, jobs, targets and investment under Food Harvest 2020.

There are 34,000 jobs in the dairy industry. Its exports are worth €2.6 billion to the economy and the target under Food Harvest 2020 is to double this in the coming eight years. Teagasc recently invested €1.5 million in the development of new cheese products, mainly for our export market. If we put cheese in the same bracket as junk food, we will do ourselves and our industry a great disservice.

I ask that the importance of the dairy industry be fully recognised, as it is by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I ask that this recognition extend to the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, whose Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, is present. I ask that before this regulation takes effect - we are informed it is beyond the control of the House and we cannot do anything about it - there is ministerial intervention and that each and every party and Independent Member in the House join me in issuing a clarion call to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to stop this madness.

See this speech in context