Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support Senator MacSharry in regard to mental health. I praise Carl O'Brien for the wonderful articles he wrote on this subject, which were published in The Irish Times yesterday and today. Apart from political action on mental health, it is also important that the media focus on these areas. I rarely rise to compliment a journalist but Mr. O'Brien's articles bring a positive focus on the area of mental health.

I ask the Leader to arrange a debate or for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to make a statement on the horsemeat scandal. I am concerned that a select committee of the UK House of Commons has targeted both the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland also presented evidence to that committee. The committee issued a report critical of the tardiness and lack of reaction on the part of our Department and recommended criminal sanctions, particularly against those in Ireland who flouted the law and gave our agri-food industry a bad name. I am sure the Minister will make a quick response to these criticisms, either in this House or elsewhere.

On a positive note, I laud the Minister for his continued efforts to respond to the disgraceful way in which the Faroe Islands and Iceland have monopolised the mackerel industry. He has acted through the EU, which now proposes to impose trade sanctions on the Faroe Islands and Iceland. The amount of mackerel they were catching totally overshadowed the entire quota for Europe. It is an appropriate move, although possibly it should have been done a year or two ago. I hope trade sanctions will be applied against these small nations which are doing terrible damage to our fish stocks.