Madam, - Your edition of February the 23rd contained a report of a press conference held by those opposed to genetically modified crops, especially the new breed of potatoes, being grown experimentally in this country.
The headline was "Monsanto link to trade talks delegation denied". In the body of the report Sean MacConnell states that "the Department of Agriculture yesterday denied a claim by Independent Senator David Norris that a representative of the chemical company Monsanto was on the official Irish delegation to the World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong last December".
I stand by my statement. I cannot understand how the Department of Agriculture can deny such a claim. I have been provided with a list of the Irish delegation, a photograph and eye-witness accounts. The person in question is a full-time employee of Monsanto, being a senior political adviser to its operation in Brussels.
In recent years Monsanto has managed to insert representatives into Irish delegations. They are provided with full accreditation, badges, access to all areas, etc.
Another newspaper carried a similar denial but in this the Department of Agriculture indicated that the Monsanto representative was not part of a Department of Agriculture delegation. I never said she was. She was part of the Irish delegation as a whole. - Yours, etc,
Senator DAVID NORRIS, Seanad Éireann, Dublin 2.