Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State. He is responsible for this important sector of the Irish food industry. We would be fooling ourselves if we were to believe that Ireland can compete with countries like Brazil, New Zealand and Argentina when it comes to food production. We do not have the economies of scale that exist in the United States. We do not have the factory farms that are probably still in operation in Russia. In such countries, thousands of acres of land are available to each farmer who engages in the mass production of food. As the Minister of State said at the beginning of this debate, Ireland's image as a country with a green and clean environment is recognised throughout the world. As a nation, however, we have not exploited that image.

I agree with the Minister of State that we can compete successfully in the growing organic food sector. Ireland's ability to compete has been hampered in many sectors of the economy. Perhaps the current battle involving Tesco, which continues to reduce its prices, is the main indication of that. We read yesterday about the protest made by farmers and potato producers at a meeting of the board of Tesco. In the long run, we cannot compete with those involved in the mass production of food. We need to find niche markets, such as the organic food sector. We have to stop pretending that farmers can continue to get paid for products that are also being produced by their Brazilian counterparts at prices with which we cannot compete. We have to add value to our products. Organic production is adding value. The County Kerry organic feasibility study is being undertaken in conjunction with South Kerry Development Partnership Limited. I will not name the chairman of the partnership, as he is running for an Opposition party in the upcoming local elections. I do not want to help his chances.