Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I propose to share four minutes of my time with Senator Regan.

I welcome to the House the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Smith, congratulate him on his appointment and recognise that he has had a baptism of fire with the question of WTO talks and their profound impact on Irish and European agriculture. The Minister concluded his remarks by referring to a recent meeting with the French Minister, Mr. Barnier. We read about the meeting and, from the point of view of Irish agriculture and Irish farmers, it was refreshing to hear the French Minister express the willingness of his department and Government to say "No" to the current WTO proposals by the possible use of the veto.

The Minister did not state this morning his willingness to say "No" in the same determined fashion. Also, he did not mention this morning Peter Mandelson, a name which is currently striking fear into the Irish agricultural community. Some 10,000 farmers protested outside the gates of Dáil Éireann some weeks ago against the Mandelson proposals. Peter Mandelson is bringing to the table a British-type perspective in regard to cheap food and a reduced emphasis on agriculture and that is a dangerous formula. This is frightening from the perspective of the future of rural Ireland and the agriculture and food production sectors in Ireland and Europe. Without a doubt, farmers are not crying wolf. The very future of our industry is at stake.

A minimum of 50,000 jobs in farming and 50 to 1,000 jobs in the agri-food sector across the country will be affected. If this is not bad enough, food security in Ireland, Europe and across the world will also be affected. A significant policy change since the commencement of the Doha round is the world food crisis with riots on the streets of capital cities in regard to the cost of food. The policy emphasis must change.

We are currently debating the ongoing CAP programme. Healthcheck was announced yesterday. At the core of any debate here, in Brussels or worldwide in respect of the future of agriculture must be food security and supply. We must ensure this issue remains at the top of the agenda. With that in mind, we cannot allow to come into being any set of proposals that would decimate Irish and European agriculture.

I am worried that we are not sending from this House or this country to our European colleagues a sufficiently strong signal that we will say no to the proposals. It is fine to speak about a balanced deal which is what everybody favours. Also, it is fine to speak about the need for an eventual agreement. We all know that at some stage an agreement will be reached. However, we must state clearly and publicly that if we reach the point of so-called no return, the Irish Government will use the veto which has been used on a limited basis on at least two occasions by previous Irish Governments. The farming organisations and agricultural sector want to hear the Minister state Ireland will take the ultimate step of taking the Mandelson proposals off the table. I had hoped the Minister would make that statement this morning.

The Minister referred to the concerns shared by Ireland and France and to the serious misgivings of the French and Irish Governments. If the French Government and agriculture Minister can state clearly and publicly that they will ensure the WTO negotiations will not go beyond a certain acceptable point, we should be able to state likewise. I appreciate the Minister was only recently appointed to this portfolio but he is not new to agriculture. The Minister comes from a rural background and must be fully aware of the appalling consequences which would flow from the Mandelson proposals. I hope he will state louder than he said this morning and more clearly than he stated yesterday in the Dáil that Ireland will take the ultimate political step at EU level to block these proposals.

As we speak, the American political system is responding in its own way to the future of agriculture in the United States and is putting in place a new regime of significant support for American farmers. Yet, at European level little is being done in this regard. We are perhaps even moving in the opposite direction. It will be difficult to reach a final agreement when America is moving in one direction and Europe is moving in another while simultaneously facing an ongoing global food crisis. Let us not rush into accepting proposals which would be so detrimental to us all.

There remains a tiny minority who do not accept the seriousness of the situation. A number of years ago we debated in this House and elsewhere the future of the Irish sugar industry. People said at the time that it could not come to pass that an entire industry would disappear. However, with the strike of a pen in Brussels an Irish industry was wiped off the map. This WTO deal would decimate rural Ireland.