Francis O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, to the House. I will take my first opportunity in the House to congratulate him on his position and re-election to Dáil Éireann. It was a wonderful victory. I disagree with Senator Buttimer's statement to the effect that we used to produce good food. He should rephrase his statement, as we are still producing excellent food.

Good food information is important. The public wants good regulation and labelling of foodstuffs, the need for which has never been greater. The Government recognises the importance of labelling. The Departments of Health and Children and Agriculture, Fisheries and Food have produced a significant body of work in this regard. In the past year, a programme of consultation resulted in draft national legislation on country of origin labelling. The legislation is intended to extend mandatory country of origin food labelling to sheep, pig and poultry meats. I urge the Departments to move quickly because they will need to show the draft legislation to the European Commission to allow it and other member states an opportunity to comment.

It is intended that the term "country of origin" will be defined as the country where the animal, bird or meat contained in a product spent most of its life. If this differs from the country of slaughter, both countries must be indicated. The proposed regulations will apply to meat and to products comprised of at least 70% meat in weight. The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Coughlan, has pressed this issue at EU level to ensure consumers are provided with full information on the origins of food products. It is important to note that the industry has a responsibility as well.

The Food Safety Authority report, entitled The Labelling of Food in Ireland 2007, aims to clarify any confusion as to what food labels should contain. It will benefit consumers by enabling them to make informed decisions based on accurate and clear food labelling information. All food labelling should provide sufficient information to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. Given that label space is limited, it is accepted that it may be necessary to distinguish between the information that must and should be provided. It is good that proper labelling should encourage healthier food choice. Food labelling should never mislead consumers and I will always speak out against bad labelling.

As food labelling should be clear, consistent and understandable, we need a simplified text. Many changes are imminent in food control activity, most of which will come from Brussels. The EU has been and will continue to be the main driver of change in terms of food safety. It is important that Ireland continues to be an active participant in the decision-making process. I do not disagree with Senator Buttimer but he made a slight error——