Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Sargent, to the House, especially on this topic. I hope I do not repeat myself. I spoke on the radio this morning about my understanding of this. The example I gave was of an event that occurred approximately ten or 15 years ago in America where poison was placed in Tylenol, a highly successful product belonging to Johnson & Johnson. A threat was made that if the company did not pay a very large sum of money, poison would be placed in more Tylenol. Johnson & Johnson was faced with a considerable challenge. What did the company do? It took Tylenol off shelves right around the world. It was done at significant cost to the company, but it is one of the more interesting marketing studies of crisis management. The company took the produce off the shelves until it managed to replace it with product in caps which were tamper proof, and it took some months to do so. When the company reintroduced Tylenol, it was known to be safe and ensured that what occurred could not happen again. I mentioned this because the company moved immediately at considerable cost to the extent that I am sure its shares were damaged and confidence in the company's viability was questioned.

The action that the Government took last Saturday was correct. We had no choice. I congratulate the Government on the alacrity with which it responded to the problem. The Government did the same as the company to which I referred. It stated it was taking all pork products off the shelves, thus putting people's minds at rest that they would not be in any danger of consuming Irish pork which might result in a health problem.

That was last week but we have to decide how to address the serious challenges we now face. I was delighted to hear that the Minister of State intends to announce that organic pigs are safe to eat. However, I hope he also moves quickly to support pig farmers and processors who are able to demonstrate the safety of their products. I am aware his heart is in this but that will not be enough to solve the problem.

The pork recall arose during a meeting I attended in Brussels yesterday of business people from various countries. I was asked how Ireland intends to solve the problem it faces. We need to blitz all our customers because our competitors are moving into the gap in the market that has opened as a result of consumers' unhappiness with Irish products. I am aware the chief Government veterinarian is in Brussels to assuage the concerns of the EU authorities but we also need to assure our customers in Europe, whether these are hotels, restaurants, processors or supermarkets, that we have addressed the crisis. Bord Bia will have to use its considerable marketing skills and its global contacts to ensure our competitors do not take advantage of the situation.

We must re-establish our customers' trust in our products. Yesterday in Brussels, the issue was raised with me by ordinary business people who heard about it on the radio. They asked me how we planned to address the crisis. It was only towards the end of my meeting that people began to ask whether beef products were compromised. I was horrified on my return to Ireland to learn that questions had indeed arisen about beef.

Significant damage will be done by this scare. When BSE was discovered in the mid-1990s, it took the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, ten years to lift the bans imposed on its beef exports. The Belgian crisis over contaminated animal products, which was also the result of dioxin contamination, resulted in the withdrawal from French shops of Belgian eggs, chickens and chocolate. In taking a precautionary approach, we have learned the lessons from these crises. Earlier this year, Italy was very slow to react to a scandal involving dioxins in mozzarella cheese, with the result that the EU imposed a ban. By acting quickly on our problems, we avoided this situation. The European Commission has recognised that we have acted more promptly than the Italians. I am also reminded of the scandal that broke some years ago involving de-icer in Austrian wines. The Minister of State gave a clear explanation for the withdrawal from sale of all pork products.

Anecdotal evidence from my visit to Brussels suggests that Ireland has lost a lot of goodwill from EU institutions and member states. I wonder whether our rejection of the Lisbon treaty will affect the Government's efforts to persuade Brussels to provide an aid package for farmers. The business people I met yesterday asked me the Government's plans to recompense those who suffered losses because they assumed our checking system was inadequate. The Minister of State has done a good job of explaining that situation. Several people asked me why, after 20 years of success with our economy, exports and taxation system, we voted to reject Europe. I almost found myself defending the "No" voters even though I supported the treaty. I had to explain that Ireland is in favour of Europe and that we voted against the treaty for various reasons. People asked me how we managed to get so many things wrong over the past six months. We have to work out an aid package for those who suffered losses, although I am not sure how we will go about this task.

The lesson Belgium learned from its scandal was that the way in which animal food is prepared is often a disaster waiting to happen. In the Belgian case, approximately 20 companies were involved in the collection of animal fat from slaughterhouses for use in animal feed, and it was common practice to include household waste. As a result of the scandal, the country's agriculture minister, Karel Pinxten, and health minister, Marcel Kolla, had to resign. I am not suggesting a similar response in Ireland's case.

The real challenge we face lies not in studying the past but in restoring our customers' trust in Irish pork products in the future. Our customers comprise ordinary citizens as well as processors and supermarkets. Let us ensure this does not destroy their trust.