The Government parties disagree fundamentally on which Government Department should take responsibility for food and, ultimately, the interests of consumers, according to Fianna Fail's spokesman on Agriculture and Food, Mr Joe Walsh.
He claimed that the principle difference was between the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Yates (Fine Gael), and Minister of State, Mr Pat Rabbitte (Democratic Left). The senior Minister had advocated that food industry and food safety be under the Department of Agriculture and Food, while Mr Rabbitte has insisted that they be part of a "department of industry", Mr Walsh said.
