Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 1: To ask the Taoiseach the level of imports and exports over the past 12 months for which information is available for all timber, energy and fibre crops, meat, poultry, dairy, mushroom, potato and various vegetable and herb products. [12179/06]

Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the Deputy, with the exception of energy and fibre crop goods, is presented in table 1. For comparative purposes, information for the years 2001 to 2005, inclusive, is presented in table 2. Table 3 identifies the main constituents of each of the required commodity categories for 2005 with comparative data for 2004.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Will the Minister of State at least inform me of the way the information is collected? Is he able to say in respect of imported food whether it is apparent from these figures if the food originated in Ireland and was exported and processed in India, for example, before being re-imported? How would such food be categorised in the import and export figures which I have requested? Is it possible to deduce what traceability exists so we can be accurate about those figures?

Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The data presented here are a combination of custom base, non-EU trade statistics. It estimates from the Interstat survey of Irish traders involved in trade with other EU member states. With regard to food, some of the questions relating to traceability would be more appropriately directed towards the Minister for Agriculture and Food.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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I did so. I was directed backhere.

Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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We do not have that detail. We simply have a list of commodity types such as beef — fresh, chilled or frozen — lamb, pork etc. Questions on traceability are more appropriate to the Minister for Agriculture and Food.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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I raised the question with the Minister for Agriculture and Food and it was redirected to the Taoiseach. We must get to the bottom of the question. The import and export figures given in the response must be verified as such because food is no longer simply imported or exported. Food is processed along the way and other issues arise with regard to food safety, climate change arising from CO2 emissions and food transport, all of which need to be evaluated. These figures appear to be half-baked because they do not reflect the reality of how food is manufactured, traded and consumed around the world. It is time we differentiated those elements in the figures because, as they stand, they are not detailed enough to give the full picture.

Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I will be glad to revert to CSO officials to ask them what they can provide in addition to the detailed information they have given. I will be interested to see what further details are available to get to the bottom of the question, as the Deputy has requested.