Mary Ann O'Brien (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for coming to the House to debate the report by the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. There is a very delicate balance in the supply chain between producers, processors, retailers and consumers. We are entering the big bad world of business, yet we are talking about our citizens who are paying tax, have voted us in and are paying for food. If there is any unfairness in that supply chain, this is where we feel we have to get involved but, again, I stress it is a very delicate balance.

Rather than go through the report, which we have all read, I will give a few stories of my own experience in the market. We are a small company with 120 employees. It is easier for me to discuss retailers in the US than those in Ireland or the UK because they are not so close to home and I can avoid a conflict of interest. A small food business today that wants actively to supply retailers must have the systems and processes in place to do so. If we go into a meeting with a retailer, we truly need to know in detail what we are about - our pricing, how it is made up and the retailer's pricing, expectations and margins. These things are easy enough to find.

I again salute Bord Bia which helps any Irish producer that needs knowledge or training. Bord Bia goes as far as getting ex-buyers from some of the giant retailers in to train us as well as the buyers have been trained. There is much in place for Irish producers. One thing in the report that I thought was a bit nanny state-ish was the recommendation was that smaller suppliers should have a small amount of legal assistance in dealing with retailers. I am not sure that is necessary because Bord Bia is in place. I started with just myself. I was the only employee and did not have a clue. I had never even seen a retailer. Once again, Senator Quinn was the first retailer to give me a chance.