Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I did not see the Deputy correct anybody else. That was what he was trying to sell, that that was what he was proposing. Even Deputy Carthy, who participated in the pre-legislative scrutiny of this whole process, did not propose that. Deputy Carthy now says he will support Deputy McNamara's amendment, but Deputy Carthy did not propose, through the pre-legislative scrutiny, that such a provision should be in the legislation. I am just explaining this as it is. If Deputy McNamara is saying that olive oil cannot be sold below a certain price in Spain but that that applies only to Spain, that could be like our beef. Maybe we are getting olive oil at a much cheaper price than the Spanish are. I just explained how this would not work in respect of our beef because of the fact that it would not deliver. I said the Minister had the potential subsequently to introduce regulations requiring the regulator to assess the cost of production or to gather certain information. Deputy McNamara asked me to show me where that is and I have shown him where it is. It is in the Bill. It has been in the Bill from the very start.

My objective - I have been plugging at this for years and am now delivering in government - is to deliver an office and a regulator which will do as much as possibly can be done to make sure farmers get fair play. The Deputy is backtracking now and saying all this does is provide the opportunity for it to be done.

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