Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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107. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on his engagements with his European counterparts regarding food safety and public health. [66730/25]

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I am taking the question on behalf of Deputy Carthy.

This goes back to my question at the beginning about food safety and public health. The Mercosur deal is at the core of this but it is broader than that. We have an issue across Europe in that we are importing a lot of product from different parts of the world. In particular, the question about grain earlier was interesting because a lot of feed comes into the country from tropical climates. A situation could happen in the future - it is one of the things we need to be vigilant about - where we could bring in a parasite, or whatever it is, that causes a problem for our native species of grain or other products. That is one example. There are a lot of other examples of it.

It is important that the Minister reassure the public that the quality of food we get in Europe is up to the standard and is not being contaminated by food from other countries that is of a lesser quality.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Kenny for raising an important point. It gets to the heart of what we do. From a food safety and public health perspective, a lot of the conversation in Ireland has tended to be about sustainability in recent years, what our farmers are doing, producing food sustainably and profit. When we travel abroad on a trade mission, the first thing that is mentioned, particularly in places like Asia and beyond, is our safety credentials. They are second to none and it is something the Department never takes for granted. However, as farmers we might. We almost never mention it any more because food safety is not an issue unless there has been a scare. In countries that do not have confidence in food safety, it is the number one priority. That is why we will never be complacent about this. It is the number one selling point of Irish agrifood products and as a country we export 90% of the food and drink we produce.

Food safety and public health are fundamental to Ireland's agrifood industry, as I said, and to the protection of consumer health and safety, but also consumer confidence. My Department plays a central role in implementing and enforcing EU food safety rules across primary production, processing, official controls, imports and exports. As Minister, I routinely attend the European Council in its agriculture and fisheries formation to engage directly with my European counterparts on food safety, public health and other issues. My Department also regularly attends EU meetings on issues regarding food safety and public health to present the Irish position on the legal and technical issues under discussion. This ensures that Ireland remains compliant with and, in co-operation with other member states can shape, European Union legislation in this area.

Reports of the Irish Farmers' Journal investigation into the sale of hormones and antibiotics in Brazil raise important issues and merit careful examination, as I said previously. Brazilian beef already enters the EU market, and it is therefore important to ensure that none of the unregulated products referenced in the investigation are used in its production. While there is no evidence that this is the case, these reports reinforce the need for further vigilance.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister mentioned in a previous reply that quite a small amount of beef from Brazil comes into Ireland and that there is no evidence of this issue. Is the evidence being looked for? What kind of investigations are we carrying out into that, from an Irish and European perspective? Similarly, we have a large amount of poultry coming in under the Mercosur deal. I think it is 180,000 tonnes. We need to be vigilant in respect of that. We have a large poultry industry in Ireland and we eat a lot of poultry so we need to ensure it is of the highest quality.

I will go back to the issue raised earlier about feedstuffs. A lot of feedstuffs are imported into this country from Latin America and other tropical climates. That is displacing Irish grain and feed and if we are to be authentic about the quality of our food, we need to ensure that the authenticity can be stood over. For example, people were before the committee recently to speak about growing grain and, in some cases, the only thing that is Irish in Irish whiskey is the water. That is a very bad situation. We need to be authentic about the products we produce and to do so not only from the point of view that they are what they say on the label, but also that we can guarantee their quality. The only way we can guarantee their quality is if we produce the ingredients as well as the finished product here.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Trade is two-way. In response to the Deputy's original question, I said clearly that we are in a space where we need to have absolute confidence that any food that comes into the EU meets our standards. Our sanitary and phytosanitary, SPS, food safety standards are non-negotiable. They are the standards to which we expect our farmers to produce food in the EU and we do not accept secondary standards for anything that comes in from outside the EU. Should we produce everything here? That is a different argument in a way. We could get very protectionist. There was a time when Ireland tried to be self-sufficient in its food production system. We were a poor country back then. The highly integrated nature of trade around the world is here to stay.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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It is balance.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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It is about balance but we benefit largely from it because we export 90% of the food and drink we produce. We absolutely need it to be a level playing field. We need to make sure those standards are there, that there is confidence in our products, whether the food is produced in Europe or comes in. We will reiterate those points, but the checks and balances are there. This is non-negotiable for the EU. It is strong on that and we will look for further assurances to make sure our consumers, as well as our farmers and primary producers, can be reassured about it.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I accept that. I understand the point that we cannot produce everything in Ireland. That goes without saying. However, there is an issue regarding the authenticity of the product that we produce if we are labelling it and selling it as Irish and as having that authenticity around it, yet everything that goes into it is coming from somewhere else. We need to find that clear balance in respect of that.

Regarding Mercosur, safeguards have been put in place. They have been voted through. There were no amendments made to those safeguards, yet a lot of countries, including Ireland and others of like mind, have expressed sincere difficulties with how far those safeguards go. That raises a red flag for a lot of people out there. How genuine is this Government and the other governments that it is meeting with around Europe in making sure that we block this trade deal and find a way forward to protect consumers and farmers in Europe?

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I cannot be any clearer than I have been. At every AGRIFISH Council meeting, I have raised Mercosur and our concerns about it. I am not the lead Minister with responsibility for that; it is the responsibility of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, who has that key consideration. I take my role at the Cabinet table seriously. I use my role as a representative and custodian of our farmers and food producing industry to highlight points. I recognise that the vast majority of trade deals benefit Irish agriculture, our farmers and our rural economy, but that does not mean we have to accept every single part of every single trade deal that is put forward. We have continuously highlighted and raised our sensitivities around the Mercosur trade deal. In line with the programme for Government, I have continuously worked with like-minded countries. Most recently, on 17 November, I had bilateral meetings with the French and Italian ministers for agriculture. Previously, I have met the Austrians, Latvians, Polish and many others. I continue to have that level of engagement where we discuss our mutual concerns and engage in the process as it is ongoing.