Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Roche, to the House. I found the contribution of Senator O'Sullivan most interesting. I recently asked for two debates on food issues, one on food quality and the other on food safety, and this is the first of the two. We need to consider these issues.

I remind the Minister of State, Deputy Roche, of an issue on which he and I were slightly culpable as Members of this House in the late 1980s, namely, the passing of the Abattoirs Act 1988, which was the biggest legislative mistake we have made for many years on food issues. Like many Members, I grew up in a town where, when one ordered meat from the local butcher, it most likely came from his own or a neighbour's farm and traceability was a very simple issue. Now, even the best organised butcher's shop might have difficulty telling a customer from where the meat it is selling came because it is buying from a central abattoir in vacuum-packed trays. We are spending billions to improve traceability although it was not an issue in the past. As the question of the provenance of food is so important, we must examine this issue.

I agree with a point made by Senator O'Sullivan. I recently went to what is probably the best food shop in Dublin at present, Fallon and Byrne in Wicklow Street. It had a fantastic selection of mushrooms, such as chantelles and many other types one does not see in shops any longer. We have destroyed the taste of mushrooms. There is no comparison between the taste of wild mushrooms, which people picked and put on the fire with a knob of butter, and the tasteless stuff that comes from dark, covered growing areas nowadays. This is because we have not trained growers in the area of taste and related aspects.

I agree with Senator Bradford and the IFA on the issue of Brazilian meat.