Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. In welcoming the Minister of State to the House, I commend him personally, his Department and the Department of Health and Children, in so far as it is responsible for food safety, on the work they are doing to ensure the quality of food the consumer gets in Ireland is first class. I take a leaf from Senator Bradford's book. He mentioned that it might be a useful exercise to examine whether we should have the duplication of agencies which deal with this matter. I, too, would feel more reassured if the agrifood sector were to deal with all aspects of our food promotion and ensure health standards. Clearly, it is in the interests of farmers, producers and the Department that everything should be first class in that respect.

I am disappointed to learn from the Minister of State that other European countries do not share our view on the importance of having clear labelling, especially relating to country of origin. It is a compliment to us, as a food producing nation, that we have the confidence to ask for clear labelling of country of origin. We are proud of what we have achieved over recent decades in building the image of Ireland as a producer of high quality foods. Perhaps some of our European counterparts are not quite so proud and may have something to fear from such labelling. Am I reading too much into it?

The question of labelling is very important to the consumer from the point of view of health. Thanks be to God we have left behind the stage where there was a shortage of food in this country. Nobody should be hungry now in Ireland. It is the quality of the food and how healthy it is that concern us now. Labelling will clearly assist the housewife, the purchaser and the consumer in that regard. It is also very important for the economy of the country because we must continue to build on the image of Ireland we have created before the world. It is a considerable participatory element of our total economy and our well-being. We are going through difficult times today. How lucky we are to have such a high profile in the food sector. It is even important in terms of tourism. Many people who come to Ireland think about our green food image as well as about our green scenery. They look forward to eating natural, uncontaminated Irish products.

The recent pig meat scare obviously gave a new focus to the matter. People were shocked to find that one of the most staple foods in Ireland, whether as the Sunday morning fry or as Pat Shortt's breakfast roll, was suspect and under a cloud. Our bacon is central to our diet. I commend the Minister for Agriculture, Deputy Brendan Smith, and the Minister of State, Deputy Trevor Sargent, on the way in which they dealt with that situation. They were upfront with no going behind closed doors. The way it was dealt with was one of the major success stories of this Government and I commend the Minister of State on it.

Modern consumers are becoming more demanding and they are correct and entitled to this. When they purchase something they want to know the primary ingredients and any additional ones. They want to know the nutritional content, including the fat and salt levels and whether there are added vitamins and minerals. The day is gone when one ordered one's vegetables and other food from the local grocer, took what one got and never thought about it unless it repeated on one in some way. Now one must be satisfied before one purchases.

The question of the country of origin is central to this proposed new regulation. Apart from our economy, it is helpful to a consumer to know from what country food emanates. Knowing where it comes from will help consumers make informed judgements on what is in the package. We all probably have preconceived notions and images of other countries but we are entitled to these. If I am concerned, for instance, about hygiene levels in food production, certain countries might appeal to me more than others. One could be aware of how animals are treated in other nations, humanely or otherwise, and that would inform my decision on whether I would purchase a product from there. Consumers can also take into account the carbon footprint involved in such manufacture. We are all different in our priorities but the country of origin is useful information.

Irish farmers have nothing to fear from labelling. The other nations, which seem to be reluctant to come on board with this regulation, obviously have something to fear or hide. We have all seen spurious Irish products which may have one Irish ingredient, or the final Irish ingredient, enabling the other 90% that is sourced outside to be labelled as Irish, and the Minister of State referred to this. These products are often packed in misleading packages with the Ring of Kerry or the Cliffs of Moher on the front. For all we know they could come from Brazil. Some of the multinationals are guilty of this. It is clear to people and is well known that much of the bacon sold here as Irish may have been sliced, vacuum packed or frozen in Ireland but is not Irish bacon. There was real irony during the pig meat crisis when some of these operators, which had been very anxious to claim Irish status for their product, were very anxious, when Irish pig meat came under a cloud, to tell us their product was not Irish, only packed in Ireland, and therefore safe to eat. One cannot have it both ways. In the selling business, point of sale is very important and the Irish handle is a major plus there. We must commend the various State agencies such as Bord Bia, the National Dairy Council, Bord Iascaigh Mhara and all which were involved in that down through the years.

As Senator Bradford said, the Minister of State has been very involved and at the front of promoting the country markets and small artisan producers, and this has been a great success. However some people cheat there also. Will this proposed regulation prevent a person calling a product organic when it is anything but? Will it stop the person who comes into a small town with so-called "home produced" vegetables or fruit when they are anything but? It is impossible to police small operations, and we do not want to police them but support and promote them because they play a major role in Ireland's food image. However I would like to know whether we can use this regulation to do that.

The Minister of State has outlined his views on font size and such matters. I have no intention of going into such detail, except to say common sense is always very important and we must be flexible. The standard must be met but it is very difficult for a small producer to compete on labelling with the multinationals which produce thousands of times the output. In his speech the Minister of State mentioned giving more time to small producers to up the ante and prepare themselves, and I support that.

If one buys a product in Lidl or Aldi there will be some English on the packet but there will also be three to six other languages. It is almost impossible to read it and one needs to make a study of it. Should the language of the country in which the product is sold, whether English or Irish, not be more prominent on the packaging than, for example, German, in the case of those products? Can we extend this to support restaurateurs who clearly identify the source of their meats? Could this regulation be used there?

Last weekend I was in a restaurant, the Horseshoe Bar, in my town of Listowel. I had a fine steak and asked the proprietor how——