Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I find it difficult to deny the obvious. As Deputies Calleary and Tóibín have pointed out, we are staring at the obvious. It is an open goal. The Minister is at a landmark moment or a crossroads in that he is able to do something meaningful for all of the families and individuals in this country. The volume supply of food and household goods is controlled by a few large corporations, such as Tesco and Lidl. It is obvious that there is a disproportionate imbalance between the competitive presence in the market of those large corporations and their producers and suppliers. The Minister is living in a land of unreality if he thinks the small producer of vegetables or fresh produce has any sort of power, other than to the extent that the most efficient and effective producing methods have been employed, in delivering to the supermarkets. It is so simple that it is staggering if he cannot grasp that fact or see the opportunity that now arises to level the playing pitch. We need more transparency on the financial engineering and structures of these companies. I refer to simple stuff that could give us a benchmark or measurement of the fairness or otherwise in their operations. It is wrong that agricultural producers have to sell their goods at far below efficient agricultural production costs. It is an abuse of power and it should be recognised for what it is. It is that simple.

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