Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I welcome the opportunity to debate this Bill. The establishment of a food regulator has been a long-standing demand of Sinn Féin. An enforcement body that protects farmers and communities from the stranglehold of dominant processors, particularly the meat factories and multinational retailers, must be a central plank in delivering a fair price to Irish farmers for their quality product.

The Bill has been subject to considerable debate in the Dáil and I would like to highlight some important developments in it since its initiation and since the acceptance of Sinn Féin amendments during Committee Stage in February 2023. These amendments mark a positive step forward and I welcome the Minister's willingness to accept them. One of the key amendments is the increase in the number of board members of the regulator from five to seven. What is more, this ensures that three of these members will be primary producers. This move is essential in ensuring that the voices of those directly involved in the agriculture sector are heard and represented.It is important to have broad representation, especially given that we have seen only recently in reports the gaping disparity between farmer incomes, and not all farmers are the same. Therefore, I hope there will be a good mix, not only in terms of what is being produced but also the scale at which food producers are producing it.

As an aside, while we are on the subject of boards, it is important that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine examines the membership of other boards involved in the agricultural sector and particularly those of Teagasc. Its board is currently made up of representatives of the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society, ICOS, the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, ICMSA, and Macra na Feirme. Given that the role of Teagasc now includes reviewing and guiding the strategic direction, and we are in circumstances where we have legally binding sectoral emission reduction targets, I wonder if the Minister would give a view on whether it is time to review the make-up of the board of Teagasc in order that it can include representatives from, for example, the organic farming sector or regenerative farming organisations that are doing incredible work across the country, those high nature value farms, or even give scope for a member of the Climate Change Advisory Council to be a member of the board of Teagasc to ensure it is actually going in the right direction.

Returning to the Bill at hand, another significant amendment empowers the regulator to seek all the necessary information required to carry out its role effectively. It is really important, and it is great that the regulator will now be able to identify any additional powers required to fulfil its duties and can report this to the Minister, making it known to the Oireachtas. The provision ensures that the regulator can operate with the necessary authority and resources to address any challenges it may encounter.

Furthermore, the amendment recognises the importance of engaging with suppliers, buyers and other stakeholders to assist the regulator in its functions. Additionally, it acknowledges the crucial role of consumers in the agrifood chain. This recognition is a positive step towards ensuring that the interests of all parties involved are considered and protected.

While these amendments are welcome, Sinn Féin remains concerned that the Bill falls short of providing the regulator with the necessary power and influence to achieve the best outcomes for farmers, producers and consumers. We firmly believe the regulator should have the authority to address issues related to anti-competitiveness and anti-transparency across all aspects of agrifood production.

We are flagging at this Stage that we will submit amendments on Committee Stage. These amendments will seek to grant the regulator the remit to address the competition complaints within the agrifood supply chain. We have consistently advocated for a food regulator with real power and the teeth and influence to protect those farmers within the market chain. We believe farmers and consumers deserve such a regulator that is robust and capable of safeguarding their interests. We will, therefore, continue to push the Government to deliver on this. We hope the Minister might be as open to accepting those amendments as he was with the amendments that were accepted in the Dáil. I think we are in agreement across the House that we need this regulator, but we need the regulator to have the teeth to do the job we want it to do.