Voicing concern about the scare over contaminated foodstuffs in Belgium, Mr Feargal Quinn (Ind) sought an assurance that the chief executive of the Food Safety Authority was free to make whatever observations he felt were necessary about food standards here.
If Dr Patrick Wall was in any way restricted in his ability to criticise his employers, the State, then we would be in the same position in which Belgium had found itself. We must ensure this did not happen.
He said it was wrong that non-governmental organisations had refused to sit around a table here to discuss genetically modified food.
"It's almost like children who say because I am not winning, I am taking my ball and going home. What we want is a discussion, and if you don't agree with the outcome of that, then you make your point around the table."
Mr Joe Costello (Lab) said the debate on genetically modified organisms had collapsed earlier this week. It seemed that the Minister for the Environment was excluding certain aspects of the debate from discussion.
The Acting Leader of the Seanad, Mr John Dardis (PD), said the Government forum had been properly constituted and had been available to all interested parties to make their submissions in a responsible and balanced way based on science and fact.
"If people want to gain some propaganda benefit from walking out, there is not a lot we can do about it. It's very regrettable that that happens."
He said he did not think there was any question of anyone inhibiting the independence of the Food Safety Authority in any of the statements it would make. He believed the history of the authority would tend to bear this out. It had taken a very independent line. He agreed it was important that it be financed properly as the international reputation of our food industry was at stake.