Joe O'Toole (Independent)

There has been a very disturbing report on a subject that has been raised on a number of occasions, by myself and Senator Coonan among others. It concerns the differentiation between retail prices and farm gate prices and the undermining of farming. It is nothing to do with my colleague, Senator Quinn, who has left that behind him, but the farming element.

There is something wrong if foodstuffs are bought at the farm gate for a price but are sold on for exponentially greater amounts. Clearly there are transport and retail costs, among others, going into it.