Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I also welcome the Acting Chairman, whom I have not seen in the Chair previously. I asked for the debate last week because I had read an article about the avian flu and I was jolted by the statistics reported in it. I visited Thailand in February 2004 to speak at a food business conference. The issue of avian flu was high on the agenda but we were talking about its effect on business and not about a pandemic. If the virus mutates from birds to humans, its effect could be huge, but it has mutated ineffectively in a number of cases thus far. The Minister of State said the Department "has introduced a series of measures which it considers appropriate to the current level of risk and will not hesitate to introduce any such further measures as considered proportionate". I am concerned that perhaps I am crying wolf and shouting too loud, but the Minister of State should be careful that the Department is not underplaying the potentially significant effect of this virus on humans as opposed to birds.

The article I read stated:

How many could lose their lives if this happens? The World Health Organisation estimates that in a best case scenario between 2 million and 7.4 million people could die worldwide but the death toll could be considerably higher if the next pandemic virus turns out to be more virulent. In the great 'flu pandemic at the end of World War 1, up to 100 million people lost their lives and there is unnerving evidence that H5N1 has the potential to be just as deadly. Two landmark studies published last week by US scientists show that unlike most other new 'flus, the 1918 virus jumped directly from birds to humans just as H5N1 has. Should the avian virus develop the ability to spread easily among people, a worldwide influenza pandemic could ensue potentially rivalling the impact of the 1918 epidemic.

Having read this, I then looked up a number of studies to learn more about the current outbreak. On 4 May 2005 a ranger on the Qinghai nature reserve in China, noticed geese staggering, something he had not seen previously. He took an immediate interest in this. It was brought to the attention of Guan Yi of the University of Hong Kong, who has also taken an interest in this. He identified H5N1 and published an article on 5 July on the danger of what was happening. At this point, birds previously thought to be immune were succumbing to this influenza virus.

When the World Health Organisation identified and drew attention to this problem it had difficulty in getting information from China. It stated that Beijing is traditionally reluctant to share information. Hong Kong sought information as it wanted to trace the virus to know more about the vaccines required. China was very reluctant to divulge information and even local officials treat epidemic data as state secrets unless Beijing orders it to do otherwise. In using this vocabulary, I fear I am scaremongering but one must consider the transfer of the virus from birds to humans and the effect that could have. We do not have the required vaccine.

This week is the anniversary of the arrival of the Brent geese from Canada. It is a fascinating time. They usually arrive on 23 October and leave on 23 April but sometimes arrive a few days earlier. These birds are coming from north to south so the danger of them carrying this virus is less than that presented by birds travelling from south to north. That this disease is in Romania and Cyprus poses a danger to us.

Last Monday was the anniversary of the first detection of potato blight in Ireland in 1845. We can identify with the danger posed by avian influenza. Around the world we have not recognised the importance and the major pandemic influence of this influenza. I am pleased the Minister of State has come to the House today. I am also pleased by what he has said and the action he appears to be taking. I worry that I am acting as a scaremonger in this case but when one considers the potential impact of this, in the context of the Famine, we have a major responsibility.

Last week the World Health Organisation criticised the steps taken, stating that global responsibility was not being met and the matter was not being prioritised. The Minister of State's participation in this debate on avian influenza, and the report on it, is placing the virus on the agenda but a considerable amount remains to be done to ensure we do not take things easy. There is a danger that ostrich-like we might bury our heads in the sand and hope avian influenza goes away. The Minister of State's words reassure me but unless we draw attention to the issue others may adopt the position of the ostrich.

Senator Callanan referred to assisting Africa and I fundamentally disagree with his thinking. He stated that African people were hungry and should use the food they produce rather than exporting it, as well as receiving aid from first world countries. I disagree and refer to the old adage used by Oxfam, "Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for life". This will be difficult for the agriculture community in Europe but we must open our doors to the developing world. If we send aid to the developing world we are giving it a fish rather than teaching it to fish.

As Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food, Deputy Browne will recognise this as something for which we in Europe must take responsibility. I recognise that this will be bad news for the agricultural community in Europe as developing Africa and Asia means opening European barriers. Europe must not become a fortress, otherwise we are open to the same criticism we made of the British in the 1840s, namely, that they did nothing to assist us at the time. The assistance we can provide to the developing world is to remove barriers, thus enabling it to compete in the market place, particularly in respect of food. This also refers to Central America and unless we battle against the mentality in favour of a fortress Europe, we will have the responsibility for this in the future.