Seanad debates

Thursday, 11 November 2010

11:00 am

Photo of Paul BradfordPaul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I move an amendment to the Order of Business to request a debate either later this morning or in the afternoon on yesterday's European Court of Auditors report on the closure of the Irish sugar industry.

The court deemed the decision taken in 2006 by the European Commission, in conjunction with the Government, was based on erroneous figures. The tragedy is that an industry was shut down, hundreds of jobs lost, the tillage industry greatly disadvantaged and Ireland and Europe became sugar importers. I recall raising this matter in the House on many occasions in 2005 and 2006. Unfortunately, it now appears what we thought then was correct, namely, that the then Minister for Agriculture and Food, Deputy Mary Coughlan, sleepwalked into closing this industry.

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