Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming to the House for another round of debate.

Amendment No. 123, which is in the grouping under discussion, aims to broaden the scope of the provision that the coimisiún would effectively ban the marketing of salts and sugars by adding infant milk formula. We are asking that this amendment would apply to all children and not just those who have digital access. There is an inconsistency because the provision we are seeking to amend recognises that there is a harm in the marketing of fats, trans fats, salts and sugars, but there is a failure to recognise that there is a harm in the very aggressive marketing of infant milk formula. I referred on the previous occasion to the fact that there has been much research into this, the most recent coming in the form of a report published by the WHO and UNICEF earlier this year. That report refers to formula milk companies using manipulative marketing tactics that exploit parents anxieties and aspirations by purporting to be a trusted friend and advisor. It also refers to formula milk companies distorting science and medicine to legitimise their claims and push their products. The report argues that these companies are making false and incomplete scientific claims as to the health benefits of their products and that formula milk marketing undermines parents' confidence in breastfeeding. As I said previously, anybody who has a newborn, especially a first child, knows all about the anxiety of trying to feed a baby.

On the last occasion, Senator Lombard asked whether it would matter if the Minister were to accept this amendment. We believe that it would matter because the research suggests that the choices of families are being undermined by aggressive marketing tactics. We can also point to countries like Norway where there have been positive changes in breastfeeding rates. The key issue here is the choices families make. This is about not inflicting a viewpoint on any family around how they want to feed their child. It is about helping families who have decided they want to breastfeed their babies and to allow them to do that without being aggressively targeted. Maternity health data from the Department of Health shows that in 2020 some 62% of babies were breast fed at birth but that fell to 58.5% upon leaving hospital. We know that within six months the rate falls to approximately 15%.

I want to respond to some of the other points Senator Lombard made. He talked about the other supports that need to be put in place. He is absolutely right with regard to lactation consultants and peer to peer support. Interestingly, the day he spoke marked one year to the day that the Government announced funding for 24 new lactation consultants to work in communities throughout the country.We put in a Commencement matter last week and the Department of Health confirmed that none of those lactation consultants has even been recruited yet, let alone begun working in the community. The full complement of 10.5 lactation consultants announced in 2020 has yet to be appointed. I say this to the Minister as a member of the Cabinet. While making this argument about marketing tactics and how to improve breastfeeding rates, we must also look at those other issues. Commitments have been made and they have not been followed through on.

As a last point on this issue, I am conscious there was correspondence from the Minister's office to the Baby Feeding Law Group Ireland about these amendments. As we see it, it effectively seeks to hide behind the regulation of the quality of the product itself as opposed to addressing head-on the issues of the marketing of the product as well as saying this is a Department of Health issue. If the Minister's Department believes in the importance of outlawing the marketing of fats and sugars in the public health interests of children, I do not see why it would not include outlawing the marketing of infant formula to babies up to the age of 36 months. It is interesting because in the question I posed last week about the lactation consultants, we also got a reply back from the Department of Health about regulating the marketing. That Department hides behind the EU regulations governing the content and quality of the product itself and not the marketing. That is simply not good enough.

We ask that the Minister consider the amendments we are putting forward. We believe they are reasonable and that they would have an impact. My final word on it is this is about giving public health messaging a fighting chance. In the face of enormous money from companies whose only interest is profit, that messaging does not stand a chance.