Mary White (Fianna Fail)

It was such a pleasure to listen to the Minister of State speaking passionately about his great love for the agrifood industry. His speech was fantastic. I agree more people are realising the importance of the agrifood industry, our largest indigenous industry. We have had mega-successes in multinational exports, so the agrifood sector provides a wonderful opportunity. I wish the Minister of State the best of luck in his work. I know he will be a huge success. I must also thank him for visiting Lir Chocolates recently to see how a food business which started in a kitchen has grown to employ 250 people.

The agrifood sector touches every parish and town, providing employment for up to 185,000 people. With the rising demand for food worldwide, the potential for this industry makes it the most exciting indigenous industry we have. We have marketed Irish food as green and natural. However, if something goes wrong in the food chain, it can be a disaster.

The recent outbreak of food borne diseases associated with fresh produce in Germany demonstrated the vulnerability of the European food chain to food scares. Since the outbreak began in May, 4,300 people have become sick, with 897 seriously ill with kidney failure and 50 fatalities, making this the most severe outbreak that has occurred in the European Union. While most of the cases occurred in Germany, there was a separate outbreak involving 14 cases in France and another associated with people travelling to Germany.

Having been involved in food production for 16 years, I know the importance of food safety. Ireland was one of the first countries to establish a safety authority for food. We are fortunate to have the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, run by Mr. Alan Reilly.

The German food safety sector did not handle itself very well, however, and caused much panic across Europe. The outbreak caused a serious disruption in food trade across the EU with a loss of consumer confidence in the safety of salad vegetables. The collapse of the Spanish cucumber industry has led to farmers seeking €220 million in compensation while the Dutch vegetable sector suffered losses of €10 million per week at the height of the crisis. The crisis also led to countries closing their borders to imports of fresh produce from the EU with further economic losses.

The initial investigation in Germany into the cause of the outbreak pointed to salad vegetables with tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber being the likely sources. Subsequently, the German authorities pointed to Spanish cucumbers being the most likely source of the contamination. They were, however, wrong. Being a food producer myself, I found watching the vivid pictures of Spanish cucumber producers disposing of their cucumbers moving and stressful. Following weeks of investigation involving staff from German state and federal Ministries with assistance from experts from the European Safety Authority, beansprout seeds from a farm in northern Germany were identified as the most likely cause of the outbreak. The most recent information announced by the European Food Safety Authority - it was issued earlier today - is that organic fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt are the most likely source of the outbreak. The European Union is planning to introduce legislation to ban the import of certain seeds and beans from Egypt. I am aware from experience that when one imports goods, one is at the mercy of those from whom one purchased those goods and one must hope that they operate to the correct standards. The Irish multiples provide great leadership in this area and demand that the companies with which they deal operate to world-class standards.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has dealt with over 100 alerts which were issued through the European rapid alert system in respect of certain foods and feeds and which were relevant to this outbreak. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland also keeps consumers and the food industry informed by providing up-to-date news on its website. On Saturday, 25 June last, the authority, as a precautionary measure, advised Irish consumers not to eat beansprouts. It also advised caterers not to serve raw beansprouts. This advice was issued to protect consumers because some of the implicated seeds could have been on sale in Ireland. Many other European countries have followed the Irish example and issued similar advice. This highlights the fact that the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has an excellent reputation internationally.

There are lessons to be learned from the outbreak of E. coli in Germany. For example, many state and federal agencies were involved in the investigation relating to the outbreak and co-ordination between all players could have been much better. There appeared to be no co-ordination at all, particularly in the context of communication. Traceability is a major issue in Ireland and great attention is paid to it. The investigation relating to tracing the source of the relevant seeds was lengthy because of the number of intermediaries involved in the seed trade. EU law requires food business operations to maintain systems of traceability via a one step back and one step forward approach. In the instance under discussion, connecting and verifying all the links between operators took time. There is also a need for strong, supportive scientific evidence to form the basis of management decisions when identifying the food involved in the source of an outbreak.

The Irish agrifood sector is central to the Government's plans for economic recovery and is seen as the flagship for growth. It is dependent on its international reputation for excellence in safety and quality. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland, as the independent science-based regulator, is central to ensuring consumer confidence in Irish-produced foods, both at home and abroad. Ireland requires a high-profile, independent, science-based food regulatory authority to demonstrate to trading partners that we are investing in our food safety control infrastructure and that the interests of the consumer are paramount. Maintaining confidence in the safety of Irish food will be central to achieving the ambitious targets set by the former Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Brendan Smith, who valiantly pressed forward with the Food Harvest 2020 document.

We have been presented with a wonderful opportunity as a result of the worldwide demand for food. I reiterate the importance of Bord Bia's promotion of brand Ireland. I am delighted to be part of it. I know the Minister of State will be a major success in the position he holds.