John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I accept that the Minister of State may not be in a position to respond on behalf of the Minister for Agriculture and Food but I feel that the presence of the golden share gave her an opportunity to become more involved on the issue of the closure of the plant in Carlow and to ensure that the sector remained viable, rather than raising the white flag, which is what happened with the plant's closure. I urge the Minister to maintain the pressure and up the ante in this regard.

This product goes right back to the foundation of the State. The people who originally set up the sugar industry had a vision to try to develop agriculture in this country. This was a success from the time the sector began in the 1920s. It is still a big part of the business activities of a large number of farmers. We cannot lose sight of the fact that the interests of these people must be protected at all times. I urge the Minister to maintain the pressure on her colleagues in Europe to ensure production in this country is secured into the future.