Thank you, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to raise the important matter of food security on the Adjournment. I wish to share time with Deputy Michael Kitt.
Adjournment Debate. - Food Security.
That is satisfactory.
The Taoiseach stated recently that one of the greatest challenges facing us in the 21st century is the issue of food security. One in seven people in the world today faces hunger or malnutrition and 2 billion people live on a deficient diet. By the year 2050 it is projected that the world population will have doubled to approximately 10 billion people. Such a projected growth in the population throws up an enormous challenge to world powers and those inhabiting the world to produce more food to support that population. A clear and practical plan is required to ensure food security for that number of people. A process of education and development and a necessary strategy to produce more where needed is required. This will require the undoubted commitment and support of the developed world.
I appeal to the Minister for Tourism and Trade, Deputy Kenny, whom I am pleased has come into the House to reply to this debate, to elicit the support and commitment of the great world powers at the world trade conference in Singapore and to ensure a coherent plan is put in place to provide food security well into the next century.
I thank the Minister for Tourism and Trade for taking this issue on the Adjournment. The number of Ministers involved in food security is amazing. The Taoiseach and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Agriculture, Food and Forestry also have responsibility in this area. I welcome the Taoiseach's comments on food security at the World Food Summit. I did not know the Minister for Tourism and Trade, Deputy Kenny, was involved in food security, or in any security, although he recently explained on radio how he secured the safety of pupils when he was a teacher by disposing of rats using a shotgun. From what I learned this morning on the Order of Business, he may soon introduce statutory instruments on landmines and explosives.
That is correct.
Tourism and Trade is an important ministry. It obviously deals with the trade and export of such devices which I hope will never be again used, particularly in conflicts throughout the world.
I welcome the recommendations of the Irish Aid Advisory Committee. Its members want us to increase aid in food security related areas and to participate more often in international fora to address issues, such as debt burden, structural adjustment programmes and aspects of the GATT Agreement and EU subsidies, which affect the livelihoods of the poor throughout the world. We must place more emphasis on assisting developing countries to have the ability to feed themselves and, in this regard, there should be more flexibility in the NGO co-financing scheme. There has always been dialogue between those involved in our aid programme and NGOs but there should be more co-ordination in that area.
When Deputy Kirk was Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food he was involved with the Irish Aid Advisory Committee. For that reason I am pleased to support his comments tonight. Many of my constituents have asked me to raise this matter. I hope the Minister for Tourism and Trade will raise the matter at the world trade conference and that he can give us a positive response.
I am pleased to respond to the matter raised by Deputies Kirk and Kitt. This matter was a central theme of the World Food Summit which concluded on 17 November last and was attended by the Taoiseach. The summit addressed all aspects of the issue of eradicating hunger and creating world food security. At the summit it was acknowledge that food security is a complex and multifaceted concept.
The summit acknowledged the importance of trade policy, the main business of the World Trade Organisation, to the achievement of food security. The declaration approved by the summit states:
Trade is a key element in achieving world food security. Trade generates effective utilisation of resources and stimulates economic growth which is critical to improving food security. Trade allows food consumption to exceed food production, helps to reduce production and consumption fluctuations and relieves part of the burden of stock holding. It has a major bearing on access to food through its positive effect on economic growth, income and employment. Appropriate domestic economic and social policies will better ensure that all, including the poor, will benefit from economic growth. Appropriate trade policies promote the objectives of sustainable growth and food security. It is essential that all members of the World Trade Organisation respect and fulfil the totality of the undertakings of the Uruguay Round. For this purpose it will be necessary to refrain from unilateral measures not in accordance with WTO obligations.
The Uruguay Round Agreement established a new international trade framework that offers opportunity to developed and developing countries to benefit from appropriate trade policies and self-reliance strategies. The progressive implementation of the Uruguay Round as a whole will generate increasing opportunities for trade expansion and economic growth to the benefit of all participants. Therefore, adaptation to the provisions of the various agreements during the implementation period must be ensured. Some least-developed and net food-importing developing countries may experience short-term negative effects in terms of the availability of adequate supplies of basis foodstuffs from external sources on reasonable terms and conditions, including short-term difficulties in financing normal levels of commercial imports of basic foodstuffs. The Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on Least-Developed and Net Food-importing Developing Countries, Marrakesh 1994, shall be fully implemented.
The World Trade Organisation is not merely a talking shop, it has a series of rules and regulations to which countries sign up. An important point of that quotation is that unilateral measures taken by individual countries are against the spirit and fundamental concept of the WTO. The World Food Summit declaration neatly encapsulates the issues relevant to food security which need to be addressed by the WTO Singapore meeting. Full and faithful implementation of the Uruguay Round agreements in all their aspects was a key issue identified by the food summit. A critical examination of implementation to date of the Uruguay Round agreements will be a central focus of the Singapore meeting, one to which the EU attaches great importance. The EU has put great effort into implementation of the Uruguay Round agreements and will seek a reaffirmation at Singapore of the importance that its example is followed by all WTO members. As the Deputies may be aware, Europe's case is being handled by me, as President of the Council of Ministers for Trade, and Commissioner Leon Brittan on behalf of the European Union.
The WTO agreements, the implementation of which will be reviewed at the ministerial conference, contain a number of concessions to developing countries in general — for example they are subject to less stringent liberalisation timetables than other WTO members — and special provisions for the least developed countries. The latter are contained in two decisions adopted at the end of the Uruguay Round declaring that least developed countries need only undertake WTO commitments to the extent of their ability and promising increased technical assistance and food aid. We have had a number of meetings recently about this matter.
Through the decision on measures concerning the possible negative effects of the reform programme on least developed and net food importing developing countries adopted at the end of the Uruguay Round, Ministers agreed to establish appropriate mechanisms to ensure the implementation of the results of the Uruguay Round on trade in agriculture does not adversely affect the availability of food aid at a level which is sufficient to continue to provide assistance in meeting the food needs of developing countries, especially least developed and net food importing developing countries.
The report of the Committee on Agriculture to the ministerial conference recommends that action be initiated within the framework of the food aid convention, with a view to the establishment of food aid commitments sufficient to meet the needs of developing and net food importing developing countries during the Uruguay Round reform process. The aim would be to cover a wider range of donors and donable foodstuffs than currently covered by the food aid convention, to develop guidelines so that an increasing proportion of food aid is provided in full grant form and-or on appropriate concessional terms and to improve the effectiveness and positive impact of food aid. The EU fully supports approval of these recommendations by the WTO conference.
The EU also supports the adoption at the ministerial conference of a plan of action for least developed countries which should have a beneficial effect in relation to food security. The plan calls for a wide-ranging effort in favour of the least developed countries, including improved market access and increased technical assistance. The EU, which already provides almost full duty free access for the exports of the least developed countries, will examine how it can best respond through practical measures to the plan of action.
Although food security goes well beyond the issues of trade on which the WTO conference will focus, I am happy to report to both Deputies and the House that the importance Ireland and its EU partners attach to the issue will be given full recognition in Singapore.
The Dáil adjourned at 5.05 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 3 December 1996.