Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I support calls for a debate on the sugar industry. In October 2004, when the Minister had just been appointed, she was warned in this House about the dangers facing the sugar beet industry. We tabled a Private Members' motion in January and she paid it no heed. She was told three days before the closure of the factory in Carlow what would happen but the Department did nothing to prevent its closure, an action that would have strengthened her hand in the negotiations.

Japan imports 7% of its rice and the Government imposes strict limits on the amount of rice that can be imported. Most of the imported rice is put in storage and does not make it to the market. Korea imports 4% of its rice while in America 25,000 cotton farmers are in receipt of $3 billion a year in subsidies from the US Government. There is no point, therefore, in a country rolling over and allowing the WTO to oversee the complete demise of an industry, which returned a profit of €10 million last year. It is outrageous and the moral implications are disgraceful.