Seanad debates

Wednesday, 3 July 2013

Food Provenance Bill 2013: Second Stage

 

3:00 pm

Photo of Brian Ó DomhnaillBrian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the new Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes, and wish him well in his very important role. While I did not have any influence in ensuring he was appointed Minister of State, on several occasions in the House I called for the position to be filled0. I am glad that it has been filled. It is an important role as its remit covers food safety, forestry and horticulture. We had many good debates with the Minister's predecessor, the late Shane McEntee, with whom I had an excellent working relationship. He was a friend and it is sad and tragic that he is no longer with us. One misses him around the Houses. I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes, well.

We are debating a practical legislative measure brought forward by a man with expertise and wisdom on the food industry, particularly the retail end. Everybody recognises that there is a real and substantive need for such legislation to be brought forward, for more regulations to be implemented and for better governance in the food industry in respect of food safety and labelling, particularly in the light of the horsemeat scandal that rocked the beef industry late last year and earlier this year. I am a member of the agriculture committee, as are a number of other Senators, and that matter is one we examined and reflected on at the time. It was hugely damaging to the beef industry.

I agree with the Minister of State that there were rogues operating in the industry and they must be dealt with stringently and clinically. I am not sure if there has been an update on what is happening in that regard. They were engaged in criminal activity.

They were availing of certain loopholes in European and Irish legislation.

Senator Quinn's contribution and the amount of work he has done must be commended. A lot of detailed research and work went in to the Bill, which has to be acknowledged. It is a massive step in the right direction and clearly indicates the need for a proper labelling system to be introduced. Oddly enough, I met fishermen in Donegal and west Cork recently. One of the issues they raised with me was the issue of labelling. Their concerns would be eased by the recommendations contained within Senator Quinn's Bill. Sections 9 and 10 address the queries the fishermen had.

It may be an unrelated issue, but the Bill would close loopholes that are affecting the Irish fishing sector. That is within the remit of the Minister. The vast majority of fish consumed in the Republic of Ireland are imported into the State. It is unbelievable. We are an island community but most of our fish are imported. They are caught by Spanish vessels. For example, 88% of whitefish caught in Irish waters are caught by French or Spanish vessels. The fish are then imported into this country. They are cheaper and it is pushing down the prices Irish fishermen obtain for their catch. There is a real need for the Bill. It is an additional benefit, which has been addressed by Senator Quinn. It is something I wholeheartedly support. However, that is only one element of the Bill.

The food industry has been rocked by the horsemeat scandal but it has opened everyone's eyes to what can happen if there is a lack of adequate provision or supervision in the sector. Serious questions need to be asked of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and about the work being done in factories. I applaud the Food Safety Authority of Ireland for the work it did, the identification procedures it had in place and so on. In addition to the Bill, there is a need to introduce compulsory DNA sampling in the beef sector. It is our primary export product and we cannot allow anything to happen to it, given the importance of the Food Harvest 2020 targets to our economic recovery and the need to ensure that Irish farmers get a premium price for their products. Products such as the Silver Crest burgers which comprised 29% horsemeat should not be sold to Irish consumers. That is what Senator Quinn is trying to eliminate. A food safety issue is involved if the horsemeat has been treated with phenylbutazone, or bute. The FSAI was quick to point out it believed there was no bute in the horsemeat. However, it did not know where the horsemeat had come from. I must acknowledge that I did not fully subscribe to the assurances given at the time by the FSAI, and I said so at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

In saying that, we cannot go back; we have to deal with the current situation. I agree with the Minister of State that there is a need for very clear guidelines and for the European Union to play a central role, but that does not mean we should sit back and wait for Europe to get its house in order. We have to take the initiative. Why can we not implement Irish legislation and let Europe follow? We can do that, and there is a need for us to do so given the importance of the food industry in this country. We need to protect that industry in every way possible, eliminate rogue traders who are importing products and ensure that never again are falsely labelled Irish products sold in Irish supermarkets. That is breaking the law. There is an issue of misleading the consumer and I am not sure whether that has been followed up on by the Consumers' Association of Ireland. I contacted it at the time of the scandal. It stepped back and said there was an inquiry by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I am not sure what discussions have taken place with it on that.

We on this side of the House fully support Senator Quinn's Bill. I am not sure of the views of the Senator on whether restaurants should be included. Should meat in restaurants contain labels of origin? That would help the agricultural sector. There is a need for that because if one is buying a Brazilian steak in a restaurant and there is also an Irish one on the menu, one should know which one is authentically Irish. It is something that could be incorporated into the Bill.

I hope Senator Quinn's Bill will be accepted by the Government. I encourage the Minister of State not to wait for what Europe will decide to do, even though we depend greatly on it. This is an issue that does not affect only Ireland, but we should take the lead, given the importance of the agrifood sector to the future economic development of the economy.

The Acting Chairman has given me some latitude, for which I thank him. I wish the Minister of State well in his work.

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