Mary Henry (Independent)

That is a wonderful organisation and I applaud it for having made the effort to come to St. Stephen's Green with chickens, hens, a cow and a few sheep. Some city children have little notion of where food comes from. Leaflets are being sent out to the various schools about this and it is a worthwhile effort. There is a plague of obesity in this country which did not exist ten or 15 years ago. We have to make the connection between the production of good food and what people are eating. This has been done in French schools for a very long time and we noticed how fit those young people looked when rioting on the streets of Paris. Very few of them were fat and were well able to run from the water cannon. We must make an effort to ensure that our children do not suffer from obesity. That is much worse for their health than running around the streets.

Farmers' markets were mentioned and they are very important. However, we must make sure that we know the source of food in our restaurants. Some 70% of the poultry used in our restaurants, fast food outlets, etc., comes from outside the EU. Many people want to know the source of the food they consume and I hope the Minister can do more about that.