Seanad debates

Wednesday, 19 November 2003

Report of Tourism Policy Review Group: Statements.

 

Another issue is the question of the cottage industry. Talk to anyone who has been to Provence and they tell you about the wonderful vegetables. One goes to a town and there is a market with gorgeous shiny apples, oranges, tomatoes, cucumbers etc. One could shave oneself with the shine off those vegetables. I have taken photographs of these and brought them back home. The reality is the stuff we think is gorgeous in the south of France would not be allowed onto the Dublin market because it does not fit into the sorting arrangements required by the EU which we implement, but which France ignores. One can buy a couple of kilos of tomatoes and they will be big and small. In Ireland they all have to be same size because that is the requirement. Every place one goes to in continental Europe, particularly in France, will have the regional products of the area. Some restaurants base their fare purely on the regional products. Here it is difficult to do that because people are prohibited from producing such regional products because of the strict health and safety regulations. I am not opposed to strict health and safety regulations. However, for somebody to produce even something as simple as sandwiches to sell and present in local shops, they must meet the same requirements as someone producing thousands or millions of pounds worth of a similar product in the course of a month. We need to look at the small local or cottage industries and relax rules so they can do their business.

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