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Dáil Éireann - Volume 346 - 14 December, 1983

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cologne Food Trade Exhibition.

2. Mr. N. Treacy asked the Minister for Agriculture the reason he did not represent Ireland at the recent food trade exhibition in Cologne; the reason he did not launch a large beef sales promotion in Munich recently; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Deasy): I was obliged to cancel at short notice my proposed visit to Cologne and Munich because Government and Oireachtas [2036] business here made it necessary for me to return to Dublin immediately after the conclusion of the two-day meeting of the Council of Agricultural Ministers in Luxembourg on 17 and 18 October. However, I arranged to be represented by the Irish Ambassador in Bonn and to have my apologies conveyed to the other parties involved.

Mr. N. Treacy: Would the Minister admit that these exhibitions, one in Cologne and one in Munich, were being held on the first day of the new Dáil session? He was in Europe prior to that. Can he justify the reasons why he returned and did not represent the country at these very important functions? Also would he agree that he had the whole world trade at his disposal? He had an opportunity to impress on them the importance of our products before the world——

An Ceann Comhairle: A question.

Mr. N. Treacy: He also had an opportunity to express before all our European partners the effect the proposed milk super-levy would have on the country.

An Ceann Comhairle: You are not allowed a speech.

Mr. N. Treacy: I am asking several questions.

An Ceann Comhairle: A Deputy cannot ask several questions. He can ask only one question at a time.

Mr. N. Treacy: I want to ask a final question. Could the Minister confirm that the German Ministry of Agriculture withdrew from both of these promotions when he himself was not available to attend? Can he justify the reasons that he did not send one of his two Ministers of State to either of those promotions?

Mr. Deasy: A Cheann Comhairle, does the Deputy think I would rather be here than in Munich or Cologne?

Mr. Gene Fitzgerald: We do not think anything. We are asking questions.

[2037] Mr. Deasy: As I explained in my reply——

Mr. H. Byrne: We are asking the questions. The Minister must answer. We will be over there soon enough.

Mr. Deasy: Not as soon as you think. As I explained in my reply, I came over here for a Government meeting on the Wednesday in question.

Mr. Gene Fitzgerald: Who was resigning?

Mr. Deasy: I also came back for a debate in the Seanad which involved the future of the Tuam beet factory in which Deputy Treacy has some involvement and is concerned about.

Mr. N. Treacy: For a long time.

Mr. Noonan (Limerick West): The reply is most unsatisfactory. Is the Minister aware that within his Department he has two Ministers of State who are quite competent to deputise for him in the Seanad? Also, is he aware that Bord Bainne are withdrawing from the UK market, that both our dairy and beef products are in difficulty in the UK market and other continental markets? Surely it was the Minister's prior responsibility to be at that fair and to represent this country. Is the Minister aware of the urgency?

An Ceann Comhairle: The Deputy should confine himself to questions.

Mr. Deasy: I do not see what the UK market has to do with this question——

Mr. Noonan (Limerick West): It has everything to do with it.

Mr. Deasy: ——especially with Cologne and Munich. I had to come back at extremely short notice. The meetings in Luxembourg were on Monday and Tuesday and on the following day the Dáil was to re-open, as Deputy Treacy has [2038] stated. I came back on the Tuesday evening for the re-opening because we also were under the impression that there was to be a Government meeting which was scheduled for that day.

As regards promotional ventures by Ministers I would be only too glad to go to such fairs. I have already been in places such as Berlin earlier this year, Britain on several occasions to attend trade fairs, and elsewhere. That point does not arise. The Deputy in his question asks if it is correct that the Minister for Agriculture in Bavaria did not attend. He did not attend but he had indicated that he was not going to attend considerably in advance of the fair. Any media reports to the contrary are incorrect. That point does not arise.

As regards getting a Minister of State to attend, I had to abandon that trip at very short notice and it was not feasible to send another Minister.

Mr. Noonan (Limerick West): I said a Minister of State to represent the Minister in the Seanad.

Mr. N. Treacy: The Minister said he had to come back at short notice as he was under the impression that a Government meeting was to be held. Now he gives the impression that this meeting was not held.

An Ceann Comhairle: That is argument.

Mr. N. Treacy: Will the Minister agree that he lost a major opportunity to impress on the Germans and all our European partners the disastrous effects the proposed super-levy would have on this country?

Mr. Deasy: That is not a relevant question. Let me point out that the Government meeting was scheduled to be held on Wednesday. It was not held because of disruption over the PMPA crisis, but I was not to know that at the time.

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