Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste mentioned that a new food regulator is going to come in and bring transparency. Undoubtedly, large profits are being made in the food chain but we do not really know where until we know what prices retailers are paying to processors, be it in the dairy sector or the beef sector in particular. They are blaming each other and saying "That is where the profits are being made".

I put forward an amendment to allow the regulator get information on that as there is no such information available in the public domain in Ireland. In other countries this information is available. In the United States of America and in France, for example, they are required to publish figures. My amendment was not accepted. I urge the Government to look at something like that in the Seanad. I do not care if it is my amendment. Perhaps it could look at giving the regulator the power to get information on the prices paid by retailers to the processors.

The minimum price of production in Ireland is currently being debated with regard to milk.

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