Ciarán Cannon (Fine Gael)

I ask the Leader for a debate on food labelling. In recent months we have seen ample evidence of widespread abuse of the food labelling system by some multiples. Some of them deliberately set out to deceive shoppers into believing the farm produce they are purchasing is of Irish origin. We have seen liberal and deceitful use of the Irish tricolour in certain multiples. The vast majority of shoppers support the farming sector, first, because it is Irish and, second, because they believe it is of superior quality. This week the Lidl chain has sunk to a new low in this deceitful action by advertising the wonderfully named Inis Vale brand of lamb chops as being "Bord Bia quality assured" with an Irish flag. In the fridges beneath this label, however, they are selling Inis Vale lamb chops. According to the small print, they are produced in Northern Ireland using lamb from New Zealand. That is deliberately deceiving people into buying foreign produce, which I would argue is of inferior quality. We should apply major sanctions to deter multiples from carrying out such fraudulent action in future.