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Sean Sherlock
LABOUR Party spokesperson on Agriculture & Food Seán Sherlock has said the government must support new EU proposals for country of origin labelling when they come before the council of Ministers.
“Country of origin labelling is already compulsory for certain foods, such as beef, honey, olive oil and fresh fruit and vegetables but MEPs have now supported extending this to all meat, poultry, dairy products and other single-ingredient products.
Batt O Keeffe
THE Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O’Keeffe TD, has said academic researchers should be required to partner with industry at all stages of their work so that smart jobs can be created by bringing products to market faster.
Minister O’Keeffe was speaking following a meeting with Ireland’s EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn which he described as “very productive”.
THE Workers’ Party have called on the Minister for Defence to explain why Irish Troops based at Collins Barrack’s in Cork are to travel to Sweden next October to participate in “warfare training” as part of the EU Nordic Battlegroup set-up.
Cork Workers Party Councillor Ted Tynan said he was appalled to learn that a Swedish Brigadier General, Jan Stephan Andersson, had been in Collins Barracks last Monday to inspect Irish troops who will be under the General’s command for warfare training in next Autumn’s military exercises in Sweden.
A DELEGATION of EU officials is due to visit flood-affected areas across the south and west in the coming weeks to determine if Ireland qualifies for emergency funding to cope with the aftermath of the flooding crisis.
Irish MEPs have urged the government to apply immediately for up to €26 million in aid under the EU Solidarity Fund, set up in 2002 to help countries deal with severe flooding and other natural disasters.
However to be eligible for funding, the cost of the damage must exceed 6 per cent of a country’s Gross Domestic Income – in Ireland’s case, €972 million.
Michael Creed
Fine Gael Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Spokesperson, Michael Creed TD, today said a Fine Gael Bill to introduce an Irish system of administrative sanctions for sea fisheries offences in place of exclusively criminal penalties should be adopted by government without delay.
Deputy Creed was responding to the most recent statement from Fisheries Minister Tony Killeen which describes the EU as moving to harmonised sanctions.
