Vol. 408 No. 9
3 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he has any intention of banning the production of dairy spreads containing a high percentage of non-dairy fats and also dairy substitutes in view of the difficulty in disposing of our milk products.
9 Mr. Kavanagh asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if his attention has been drawn to the range of non-milk and artificial dairy products which are being developed by multi-nationals in the EC and USA to the detriment of our dairy industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 and 9 together.
I am aware that spreads were introduced onto the market in Ireland in 1985 and that a range of products manufactured wholly or partly from non-dairy ingredients has been developed both within and outside the Community in recent years as substitutes for dairy products.
Prohibitions by other member states on the import and sale of dairy substitutes have been overturned by the European Court of Justice. Quite apart from any legal difficulties which might arise, a ban on the manufacture of dairy products in Ireland would, therefore, be ineffectual in the absence of controls on imports.
However, action has been taken at Community level regarding the marketing of dairy substitutes by the adoption of Council Regulation 1898/87 which prohibits the use of dairy terms or imagery in the advertising of products which are not made exclusively from milk. Action has already been taken by my Department in a number of cases to enforce the requirements of this regulation.
Has the Minister any statistics which tell us how much dairy produce is being displaced from the marketplace by the use of these imitation products?
The butter sector has been most affected by this development. In Ireland since the introduction of spreads on to the market in 1985, they have been responsible, certainly in part, for the dramatic decline in butter consumption from a level of 31,000 tons in 1985 to 13,000 tons annually at the moment.
In view of the fact that the European Court has deemed that the prohibition of the use of these substances is not legal, would the Minister speak to the dairy co-operative movement in an effort to get a voluntary agreement, so that the use of these spreads and imitation products could be reduced if not eliminated immediately?
I share the Deputy's sentiments in this regard. The impact of the development of spreads on the dairy sector has been significant, as has been underlined by the statistics I just quoted. I can certainly ask the dairy co-operatives to look at this. From time to time the Minister, Deputy O'Kennedy, speaks out clearly on this issue. Anything we can do to advise the dairy co-operative of the necessity to emphasise the importance of butter sales will be done. It has clear implications for the dairy industry if the level of consumption of butter continues to decrease. What Deputy Deasy has said will certainly be considered.
