Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chuir roimh an Aire Stáit. Tréaslaím leis arís as ucht an sár-obair atá á dhéanamh aige sa Roinn. It is regrettable that our scheduling today has the Minister of State making a statement on farmers' markets when there is a very interesting meeting of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on the issue of Brazilian imports. Senator Bradford mentioned this and we would all like to attend it as well. Perhaps we could give more thought to the scheduling next time.

I compliment the Minister of State on his success in promoting the green Ireland image and the manner in which he is promoting a healthy-living lifestyle throughout the nation. The Minister of State is winning as there is now strong evidence the public is buying into the green message, and his job may very well be made easier in future. The issue will become consumer-led as people switch on to the idea.

I will not go into too many statistics but a recent report indicates spending on organic food in Ireland averages €40 per month as compared with €29 per month in 2003. Another survey shows three in ten Irish people have consciously changed their eating habits in order to be healthier over a one-year period. Eight out of ten have reduced their intake of fast foods and 75% of the population now indicates it is prepared to pay more for healthier food. We are going in the right direction.

Farmers' markets are a bit like Christmas in that everybody is for them. This does not mean they are perfect in every way and I have some reservations, to which I will refer in conclusion. Overall, they are a powerful and important force for getting across the idea of healthy eating and promoting the concept that we can, in Ireland, be self-sufficient and produce good quality food at local level to be consumed at local level.

In that respect they offer our farmers a very important opportunity to diversify at a time when, as the Minister of State indicated, we are even importing potatoes. They can be a great signal to our agricultural sector that there is an opportunity here and that farmers' markets will provide an outlet.

For years, farmers were irate at the fact they produced good quality foods which were being sold in the major supermarkets and multinationals at significant profits. The farmer could not see how he was getting so little out of the deal. The old-style single convenience store at the street corner is almost a thing of the past and there is no median now. There is either selling in large supermarkets or the welcome new arrival of the farmers' market as a new option for the producer.

It is also a great outlet for people who wish to boost their incomes, be they breadmakers, cheesemakers or other local artisans. They did not have this outlet in the past. It is inspiring creativity in them and helping the household budget because in many cases these people would not be extremely well off and it is an additional source of income for them.

I commend the Department and An Bord Bia on the way in which they are successfully promoting the image of farmers' markets. Last year's RTE series on farmers' markets was excellent and I read with interest that it has been shown on inward flights from the USA. It also has been screened in New Zealand and Australia. I understand that a new series is due to run in April. It shows vision on the part of An Bord Bia to sponsor such a programme. The Department's Agrivision 2015 committee also has some useful proposals for the future. I commend the Minister on organising the series of regional fora on farmers' markets culminating in the conference last month. The Minister of State has stated today that there will be further developments on those lines.

Some 130 markets are now operational with an annual turnover of €28 million, which is not to be sneezed at. While in the overall context of our agriculture budget it is not a large sum, it is growing. The Minister of State was very welcome recently in my town of Listowel when he came to address a food fair organised by Deputy Deenihan. He had a very good robust exchange with local farmers and he certainly gave as good as he got. He had an opportunity to see the Listowel farmers' market before he left. He may wish to consider that market as a useful template for future farmers' markets. It was not without difficulty that it was established. Before I was elected to this Chamber, I was a member of the local authority in Kerry and of Listowel Town Council. We had a long gestation period and a rather bruising exchange with the farmers' market promoters before dialogue commenced. Dialogue is always very good. The chairman of the town council happened to be the chairman of the farmers' market group, Councillor Anthony Curtin of Sinn Féin, who is an excellent man. He got us all together and we made an agreement as to how it would run. It has been a great success and the fears of many of us, including myself, have been more than allayed.

Coming from a business background as a retailer, I know there is always a sense among people who are paying rates — often swingeing rates — service charges etc., which provide for the annual budget of a town, that people who come in on a casual basis may be reaping the profits of the regular traders' endeavours throughout the year. Perhaps there should be a more meaningful contribution by the farmers' markets to the town budget. While I may be straying from the theme of today's debate, the Minister of State mentioned that he would consult with county managers and local authorities, which is good because there have been some difficulties in that regard. There is still some residual resentment in country towns. The regular retailers feel they are subsidising all this and are not getting a fair crack of the whip. The antithesis is probably truer in that farmers' markets are a major attraction, bringing people from far and wide, as Senator Bradford said. Tourists love to make for the farmers' market. The first thing they ask when they reach the hotel is where and when the local market takes place. There is a spin-off for the shops and traders of the town.

The Minister of State touched on the regulation of farmers' markets. In my experience 90% of them are well regulated whether they are self-regulating or it is done with the advice and assistance of Department inspections. I have read that a number of markets are operating at less than a premium level. Perhaps there is a need for some tightening up in the Department's inspections. A tighter regime on labelling may need to be introduced. I understand there is no labelling requirement for loose foods such as cheeses that are cut and prepared before the customer. When it is packaged and supposed to be organic it must be organic. A recent report on the "Ear to the Ground" programme suggested that all is not well in this regard and that foods that are not organic are being sold as organic. While I do not know how widespread that practice is, it would devalue the farmers' market movement if it were allowed to take hold. I am glad to note the Minister of State is observing that. The Consumer Association of Ireland has also made some representations regarding labelling.

The Minister of State referred to the provision of important services such as water by the local authorities. Not all farmers' markets operate in what would be the ideal hygiene regime. Overall there is a need for some tightening. The FARMA group in the UK seems to be quite successful in that regard and it might be appropriate for us to have a similar operation here.

I had not expected the Minister of State to refer to abattoirs and I am delighted he did. It bothered me that approximately ten years ago there was a very serious crack down on country and village abattoirs. Much of it was necessary because we needed to impose the highest standards of hygiene based on European directives etc. However, I believe it went over the top. What truer or more natural passage from the farm to the counter is there than a man who rears his own beef, slaughters, dresses, prepares and sells it? It cuts out everything else we do not want. I would like to see support for the remaining abattoirs. Obviously they must operate under pristine conditions — we would not accept anything less. I hope a new attitude will be taken because too many of them fell by the wayside.

I commend the Minister of State and his Department.