O'Keeffe says aid to UN food programme should be cut

FIANNA FÁIL TD Ned O’Keeffe says the State should cut its support for the United Nations food aid programme in the current economic downturn.

Speaking at the Public Accounts Committee yesterday, Mr O’Keeffe also claimed a “racket” operated following the recent pork crisis, saying processors changed labels of origin on products to get compensation.

The committee heard €10.5 million was contributed to the World Food Programme (WFP) through the Department of Agriculture in 2007.

A portion of that funding was used to provide air transport for food to refugees in remote regions of Chad.

“Charity begins at home. . . I don’t think we can keep that level of money going if we want to be generous to our own people,” Mr O’Keeffe said.

A contribution of €10.5 million was “grand” in more financially secure times, but priorities were different now.

“I would have reservations about that figure.”

The secretary general of the Department of Agriculture, Tom Moran, said this year’s World Food Programme allocation would be “up a bit” on the 2007 figure. The department had a “long-standing relationship” with the programme and contributions were “very targeted” he said.

Irish Aid, the overseas development aid agency in the Department of Foreign Affairs, also provides emergency cash to the WFP on a case-by-case basis.

Between the two departments, about €24 million went to the WFP in 2008, making Ireland one of the largest per capita donors.

Meanwhile, Mr O’Keeffe, a former minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, also claimed Irish pork processors changed labels of origin on products in an attempt to get compensation following the recent dioxin crisis. “There was a racket,” he said.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Moran rejected Mr O’Keeffe’s allegation that Irish processors switched labels of origin on pork products.

“I wouldn’t accept that, it’s extremely tightly controlled,” he said.