I move amendment No. 9:
In page 6, subsection (1), line 15, before "to promote" to insert "to initiate an integrated national food industry development policy and".
This amendment follows on the debate just completed. I question the Minister's statement regarding the make up of the expert group. Many of the recommendations of the group are valuable but the make up of the group was not broad, for example, there was nobody to represent the consumer, which puts a question mark over the approach of the group.
The amendment also addressed the question of the inherent contradiction of the Bill, If the purpose of the Bill is to create a promotional body which gets into the markets to sell our products, it should be organised under the aegis of the Department of Tourism and Trade. That is what the Department is set up to do and that is where this body should be located.
However, if the body comes under the aegis of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, then it must be something more than that provided for in its remit. In this respect the purpose of the amendment is to ensure that the remit of the board should include the development of policy regarding the food industry.
It is clear to all that the message conveyed by various reports, including the report of the expert group, is that things are not as they should be, that there is an over-reliance on the State, an over-reliance on intervention and that the emphasis is on the production of basic products rather than the development of basic resources to produce a wider range of products and jobs.
It is not the case, therefore, that an additional dimension is being created for a food industry where everything is in good condition, rather that the opportunity should be taken to use the facilities provided by a food board, which is the description attaching to An Bord Bia, to improve matters. The Minister should be more careful in the way he defines the board if he is going to limit its potential.
The board has potential, even if it remains under the aegis of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. However, the Minister is closing the options in respect of this potential by restricting the board so much. Therefore, the essential issue of policy development should be included under section 7 of the Bill. If this were to be part of the brief of the board it would lead to a more integrated approach rather than an end of pipe solution. It would also ensure that the work of the board will be maximised and made more effective. This is the kind of work that needs to be undertaken, and there is no better organisation to do so than the Food Board, An Bord Bia.