Vol. 556 No. 5
52 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when he established the consumer liaison panel; the membership of the panel; the number of times it meets; if it has presented proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20666/02]
The views of consumers are vital to the future of a progressive agriculture industry, encompassing not alone the basic function of food production but food safety, food quality and environmental and animal welfare issues. In this context, I established the consumer liaison panel in January 2002 to strengthen communication between the consumer and the Department. The terms of reference of the panel are to liaise on general consumer and client base issues in relation to the activities of the Department and to comment on the flow of information to and from the public. The panel is chaired by Ms Mairéad McGuinness and includes representatives of the Consumers Association of Ireland, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Irish Countrywomen's Association, voluntary and community sector interests, RGDATA, Bord Fáilte and representatives of the major food retail outlets.
The panel held its inaugural meeting on 7 February and has met on seven occasions since then. It has been briefed on departmental activities across a wide range of food safety, environment and agriculture policy issues of direct concern to consumers. The panel recently met and exchanged views with the EU Commissioner with responsibility for health and consumer protection, Mr. David Byrne. The panel has issued a number of recommendations on areas such as food labelling, food imports and the need for consumer input into the CAP reform process.
