IFA: Government should defend the interests of those who elected them

MINISTERS should follow the lead of British Secretary of State for Agriculture Caroline Spelman and defend the interests of the people who elected them, says the IFA.

Ms Spelman has told her cabinet members that they should only award future public food supply contracts to producers who meet British quality standards. A spokesperson for Defra, Britain’s Department of Agriculture, notes: “The issue is one of quality, not origin.”

The IFA has several times requested of various Irish ministries to adopt a similar strategy, but says it has been repeatedly rebuffed on the basis of EU anti-protectionist laws.