McGuinness criticises commission over alleged mushroom sector breaches

THE failure of the EU Commission to act on alleged breaches of labour law and unfair practices in the European mushroom sector could put the Irish mushroom industry in serious jeopardy.

wThat was the doomsday prediction made yesterday by MEP Mairead McGuinness, who said she had written to the commission asking it to urgently investigate the practice of mushroom producers in Holland selling their crops on the beds to Polish-registered companies paying Polish wage rates in Holland.

She said the commission had replied that it had “no competence in this field,” which the MEP said was totally unacceptable.