Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is not often I find myself in complete disagreement with Senator Barrett. I am pretty stunned by what he has said. If some producers do not like it, that is tough. I firmly stand by the belief that we have an indigenous industry that successive governments have continued to promote, including promoting Ireland as a food island. The Food Harvest 2020 document produced by the former Minister, Deputy Smith, and followed on by the Minister, Deputy Coveney, indicates the importance of the agrifood sector and dairy sector. That can only happen if people can trust the quality and the nature of the product, based on where it is sourced, how it is produced and the expertise that is there.

While it is correct to say that the household budget for food in the UK has dropped from 30% to 9%, that is not necessarily good. In Britain, farmers in particular as well as producers, growers and market gardeners have gone out of business. Family-run businesses have been screwed to the wall by certain multiples that have squeezed every last drop out of them. Tesco and other companies buy the farms, produce vegetables themselves and drive down costs, just as Aldi, Lidl and others do from time to time. I am not talking about putting a tariff on the consumer; I am asking whether we value the industry itself. Do we want to look back in 30 years at a fantastic industry, but one that is entirely owned by foreign companies? Would that be acceptable?

I invite Senator Barrett to meet the growers and small business owners in my area in north County Dublin and put his case to them. I think he would find a very different response in that regard. Competition is very important, as is fairness. I accept that some businesses fail and if they fail, they do. I do not favour artificially supporting a sector.

I will be resubmitting on Report Stage my amendment No. 25 on appointing an independent ombudsman. The Cathaoirleach of the Seanad ruled that out of order on the basis that it could have brought a cost on the Exchequer. I will be resubmitting it and asking the Minister to look at how it works in Britain which has an ombudsman over this sector. That ombudsman costs £800,000 which is fully funded by the retail sector. That office is manned by one ombudsman and three staff.

I welcome the Minister's interaction in our discussion on the Bill today which has been very useful. We want to work with him on this. The Bill had been promised for many years. Many small family-run businesses have been waiting for this Bill to offer them some protection and fair play. To have legislation such as this without an ombudsman removes any type of real power that could be there. I believe the Cathaoirleach's ruling was incorrect.

On Report Stage I will be proposing an amendment that the Minister should appoint an independent ombudsman to oversee and implement the regulations provided for in section 60(3)(b) funded fully by the retail sector. It is done in Britain and it can be done here. I am not looking to overburden the authority with additional work, but we can build on this legislation. I will be opposing the section on the basis that the Minister has not taken the opportunity of this legislation to have an ombudsman. That is a mistake and needs to be rectified. I will be returning to the issue on Report Stage.

I thank the Minister for the time he has given throughout the process. I know this is a complex Bill and we will not agree on everything, but it represents a start. I am not sure whether the Minister will be back here on Tuesday to take Report Stage, but whatever happens over the weekend, I wish him-----