Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House and I agree with him that we need to take a calm and reasonable approach to this issue. I am satisfied with the line taken by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, which is an independent scientific consumer protection body. It does not give blanket approval to GM foods but assesses individual foods and carries out checks to ensure compliance with GM legislation.

When I visited the European Parliament six years ago there was a debate on GM foods. It was a unique day, as many Green Party members from all over Europe marched into the Parliament dressed as pirates. They were totally opposed to GM foodstuffs. Some MEPs were furious because they had spent many years debating the rights and wrongs of the subject and they believed they were taking a pragmatic approach. The debate that day was screened live on television and was covered in newspapers all over Europe. The subject got attention but for the wrong reasons. As a result, people's awareness of the issue was heightened but the debate was dismissed. Politicians must take a calm and reasonable approach to this matter, as we are doing in this instance.

In 1999, the Government finally agreed to have a debate in the Dáil on the genetic engineering of foodstuffs. Due to the labelling of products, consumers have a sense that GM foods are being imposed on them. I am delighted a new labelling system was introduced. However, I remain concerned that levels of GM ingredients below 1% do not have to appear on labels. Since 18 April 2004, an obligation has been placed on suppliers to forward information on the presence of GM ingredients. Will the Minister of State clarify the position, as we have some difficulty with the presence of small quantities of GM produce not being indicated? All information regarding ingredients should be included on labels, even if it is less than 1%.

A great deal of scare mongering took place in the United Kingdom and the public there voted by 9:1 against the introduction of GM foods. The Irish Commissioner, Mr. David Byrne, has stated that GM foods are now legal in EU law, as long as they comply with the laws of each state. Darina Allen made the point that in the past when people got tumours there was no way of proving if they came from the consumption of GM foods because they were unlabelled. For that reason I welcome the new labelling laws.

I accept there are benefits to GM, such as the production of insulin, blood clotting proteins and various vaccines. My late father was a diabetic and the quality of his life was improved by the use of insulin. We must weigh up the advantages as well as the disadvantages of any issue. From my limited knowledge of genetic modification, the benefits have been tremendous in the experience of my family. Future genetic modification could help in the fight against cancer, cardiovascular disease, cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease, HIV-AIDS and Alzheimer's among other diseases.

Fine Gael is not opposed to the importation of products containing GM ingredients into Ireland. However, all such products must be properly labelled. Greater public debate is required on this issue. We must decide if we want GM foods and are willing to cultivate such crops on Irish farmland. Fine Gael's policy on the importation of GM foods is that each product must be investigated on a case by case basis. The current EU strategy is a sensible and reasonable approach.