Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Sargent, to the House. He has a deep personal interest in this proposal and in the area of food production and food quality. It is opportune to have this discussion in the Seanad in light of the recent crisis in the pork industry. Apropos same, the Minister of State's role in dealing with the difficulties was much appreciated by everybody involved in the food sector. He took a personal interest in the matter.

Arising from that crisis and the enormous burden that will now have to be placed on the Irish taxpayer, it makes this debate more relevant and imposes on us the obligation to ensure we bring this type of policy to fruition and, in so far as possible, make substantial progress on the country of origin labelling issue. I recognise, as the Minister of State said, that the matter is basically in the hands of the Department of Health and Children but, in regard to food production and food labelling, the argument could be made that the role of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food should be stronger. I would prefer if the case was being led by the Minister of State and his Department rather than by the Minister for Health and Children and her Department. It would bring a greater degree of relevance to our efforts in this regard.

I recognise what the Minister of State said about the efforts that have been made since 2007 to progress the country of origin labelling issue. He, his officials and our representatives in Brussels have been attempting to make progress on addressing it. However, we must note, with disappointment, the lack of progress made on the matter and ask him and his colleagues to redouble their efforts in this regard.

On the European stage, the Irish agricultural industry has always traded on the quality of our product. The Taoiseach outlined in the other House this afternoon certain responses to the economic crisis. We all recognise that jobs are being lost and that our economy is under huge pressure. We must ensure that native industries such as agriculture, which have always plugged the gap, remain very much centre stage in terms of keeping people in employment and job creation down the line. One of the big problems faced by Irish agriculture, from production and profit perspectives, has been the substantial increase in recent years of imported foodstuffs of a questionable nature.

We have won the debate in relation to food quality and everybody now rightly demands the highest quality of food produced in the most hygienic fashion possible. However, on the other side of the equation, unfortunately, food imports of dubious quality from outside the Union into member states of the Union, including Ireland, are seriously threatening the place of top quality Irish food on the supermarket shelves of Europe. The Minister of State mentioned the bizarre concept of substantial transformation in that respect, which must be addressed. As the Minister of State said, there is no justification for a producer, by putting breadcrumbs on an Irish chicken product, being able to have it relabelled as Irish.