Peter Callanan (Fianna Fail)

I appreciate the support of the Acting Chairman. I will need it because the interruptions are coming very soon, which I did not expect. Approximately 75% of the region in Brazil which produces beef is now prohibited from exporting to Europe. While I will not labour that point, I want to deal with controls in Brazil published by the food and veterinary office. I cannot be sure, for example, that the inspection and monitoring which takes place is as tight as it ought to be. I am not satisfied because of the distance involved and the monitoring that takes place. We must depend largely on the word of the people in the region. I can go back to the mid-1970s and the kosher contract, for example, a Jewish contract, which involved a plant in Midleton. They came over with their own veterinary surgeons and did their own killing. The same applies today to any meat we export to countries outside of the EU, including Egypt and Russia. There is close monitoring of the process. I am sure Europe does not conduct this close monitoring, hence my concern. There is a difficulty about openness and transparency.

Given our beef industry, and recognising the importance of it not just to the agricultural sector, but to the whole economy, including workers and so on, we must examine the way in which Senator Coonan and others who have been talking down agriculture, which is wrong. Agriculture will prosper in this country, but making negative comments could hinder people from going into the industry.