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THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT recently introduced a law that makes it illegal for supermarkets to destroy edible food.
Under the new legislation, supermarkets will have to prevent food waste and will be forced to donate unsold edible food to charity, or for use as animal feed or compost.
Now a Fine Gael Councillor wants Ireland to follow suit.
Neale Richmond, a member of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, has called on Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney to introduce a new law that will make it illegal for supermarkets to destroy edible food in an effort to cut waste and encourage increased charitable donations.
“At the end of the day many supermarkets throw away perfectly good food that could be better used,” Richmond said.
The councillor noted that organisations like Foodcloud in Dublin and the Bia Food Initiative in Cork are engaging with businesses to get them to donate their excess food to charities working with those in need.
Ireland is the fifth worst country in Europe for wasting food.
Richmond said introducing the new law would “compel many supermarkets to cut down on the wastage of perfectly good food and also increase the donations to these excellent social enterprises”.
The US state of Massachusetts introduced a similar law in 2014, banning businesses from throwing out food if they throw out more than a tonne of it every week.
“Starting with supermarkets, there is no reason why this law could be progressively applied to restaurants, hotels and catering companies.
“There are initiatives in place already but enshrining it in law I feel is a common sense move that will go some way to helping those in need and I have been in touch with the Minister’s office to see if he can push this forward,” Richmond said.
The Department of Agriculture did not reply to a request for comment, but Minister Simon Coveney responded to Richmond’s Facebook post on the issue, saying it was an “interesting idea”.
Do you think this type of ban is a good idea?
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The can will be kicked down the road to October. No doubt about it.
We have a government who at this stage clearly do not represent the interests of the vast majority of people who elected them. Stevie Wonder could see this.
High taxes for very little in return, housing, health, childcare to name a few. Under 11 years of Fine Gael have all gotten worse.
The worst possible outcome after the confidence and supply government was Fianna Fail and Fine Gael entering into a coalition.
@Fay Moynihan: waiting till October for a number of reasons. One being it would disrupt their summer holidays.
Another is because we generally don’t remember what a governments did across a full term at election time , they can wait till October and when the election happens reference what they did in October and we won’t remember they didn’t do it earlier.
Also hoping the cost of living will have reduced a bit by then so budget won’t have to be so generous.
I could go on but this is where we are.
@Fay Moynihan: high tax far from it. In the 80s income tax was as high as 65%. In the 80s the government could build social housing quickly because the were taking so much from the working person. People want everything but aren’t willing to pay for it.
Come on Barry. Is this a new excuse as to why the government can’t build social housing?
Seriously?
They have no desire to build social housing in any numbers that will make a significant difference.
There we’re far fewer people working in the 80′s. One factory job income could sustain a family quite comfortably. I’ve lived that life and have first hand experience of same.
Is it not amazing that in a decade (80′s) where we had almost half a million people emigrate due to their being no work that the government could build so many social houses.
The tax take last year was almost 10 times that of the highest tax take of any year in the 80′s.
We now have a country with full employment where the average wage is almost 50k.
What people want is affordable housing, affordable childcare, a decent health service that is fit for purpose and few quid in their pockets at the end of the week. All of which Fine Gael after 11 years in government have done nothing to address.
A leader under criminal investigation, a deputy leader up to his neck in corruption and cronyism. None of which would still be a minister had Fianna Fail been in real opposition.
We have a massive cost of living crisis which as now reported has left 1 in 3 in fuel poverty. Record prices at the fuel pumps, for gas, for electricity but our government are going on a 12 week recess.
We live in country where for the first time children are going to be worse off than their parents. Nurses, Gardai, teachers, university educated people most of which have no hope of ever owning their own home.
@Fay Moynihan: your “an expert”
@Fay Moynihan: Well said on every point you make, if only FF/FG with their combined 100 years of power could have learned how to run a country.
@Fay Moynihan: absolutely some of what you say is true here but to make out that SF is a viable alternative is comical. There should be no talk of criminal investigations if attempting to compare anything to Sinn Fein. Yes there is a housing and homeless crisis. But you haven’t mentioned that under the Housing for All scheme 33,000 new builds have commenced this year largest since 2008, 2,000 ahead of target with 43,000 due next year, a 4 fold increase on 2011. Due to the success of our economy we’ve had huge numbers immigrating plus we’ve accepted thousands of refugees. Inflationary matters are outside of local control as you know. Every country is fighting it. On the flip side, the economy is in great shape, everyone has a job, and we did a great job at managing a global pandemic
@GrumpyAulFella: we have an excellent Welfare system. We were the 3rd richest country in Europe by GDP last year. On the other side, our Health system continues to struggle and can’t cope with our increasing population numbers. It requires root and branch reform. It’s not going to happen any time soon as unions will block any constructive attempt to reform and there are thousands of under utilised admin staff who are excess to requirements, labour costs that could be better utilised elsewhere. Our health budget is about €24bn pa. Now if you think David Cullinane can reform our health service and disarm the unions then I’d love to see his plan. And of course that’s the problem with them, populist sound bites but no plans or proposals, just words and hypocrisy of course.
@GrumpyAulFella: Where have I compared SF? Where have I even mentioned SF?
We can’t talk about criminal investigations because of SF? Does that make what has gone on for donkeys years with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael ok then?
The millions wasted on tribunals. Corruption and cronyism is ingrained in both parties. They are so far removed from the electorate at this stage it beggars belief.
Had FF been in opposition do you think for one minute that either Coveney or Varadkar would still be in their positions. No chance.
They either abstained or voted with FG to keep the cosy cartel together and you know it.
I’ll say it again, the worst possible outcome after the confidence and supply government was Fianna Fail and Fine Gael entering into a coalition.
@Margaret Mcgarry: tool
@GrumpyAulFella: Bang on with that post,I could be wrong but our spend on health is one of the highest in the EU, money isn’t the problem with our health system and from what I have read from SF it’s to spend more money.
@Daniel Roche: Nobody mentioned the funding Daniel. That is clearly not the issue and throwing money at it will clearly not fix it at this stage.
The problem with the health service is exactly the same as it is with politics. Accountability.
“We’ll learn from this and move on” or “lets setup a tribunal”
Pre the election in 2011 Enda Kenny was going to end the scandal of patients on trolleys, we have had record numbers on trolleys ever since.
In July 2016 as housing minister Simon Coveney said that he would end homelessness. We have had record numbers ever since.
And don’t get me started on Varadkar with his ending of USC prior to the election in 2016.
@Fay Moynihan: I think it’s obvious who you’re running with. The reason we don’t mention criminal investigations in government is because we know that there are convicts in opposition. It’s a nonsense smear. Populist sound bites about tribunals and cronyism is great but do you think that the opposition are not guilty of similar or worse crimes? You could write a book on it. Where are the policies? Where are the proposals? How are our saviours in SF going to rescue us all from these horrors? The words are great but it’s all just hot air. I’m still confused as to why they spoke at the cost of living protest in Dublin but not in Belfast. Why is that?
@Fay Moynihan: very well.put. and very sad to read …
@Margaret Mcgarry: does truth not fit ur agenda ?
@Fay Moynihan: they dont like hearing the truth shut their eyes to it, sad really.
They are so brain washed they turn every comment into a SF issue…
Can Sinn Fein ever make a statement without referring to “workers and families”.
@Betty O Sullivan: I don’t know what Shrup means, but whatever. You do realise that leaving the “workers and families” aside Sinn Feins number one and absolute priority if the ever get into government is a border poll. A border poll at this time or in the short term could cause trouble leading to civil war in Northern Ireland. Be careful what you wish for.
@Jack Byrne: Sinn Fein know exactly what to say and when to say it to get maximum effect.
I hope people think long and hard before they vote in the next election.
How many Violet-Anne Wynnes can this country afford?
@Jack Byrne: I think they’d have to undo over a century of ff + fg damage first to make it more attractive to middle grounders in the North beforehand. Meanwhile, while you’re problem is them referencing “workers and families”, people can’t get seen by consultants for over a year, young people cannot buy homes, families are deciding what bill to put off this month so they can all eat and many are calling in to work sick because they can’t afford the fuel to drive to work.
@Jack Byrne: and fellow citizens
@Stanley Marsh: The question is, how can the country afford FG/FF in power any longer?
@David Corrigan: Definitely an apt time to roll out the old adage, ‘Better the devil you know.”
@Jack Byrne: Shrup
@Stanley Marsh: and we’ve done sooooo well under 100 yrs of FFFG… Jesus, change the record.
@Stanley Marsh: Are you in FG head office writing that comment.. FG/FF have failed the people.. pure and simple!!
@Stanley Marsh: There is no good time for drastic change I guess but it’s going to happen anyway due to FG/FF not being able to do the job for the people. Might as well get it over and done with after the next election.
@James Reardon: And Sinn Fein are going to cure all that with their magic money tree? You actually think the present government are going out of their way to be unpopular? The government are the adults in the room and are doing what is best to manage and find solutions for the present unprecedented problems. Meanwhile Sinn Fein are hurling from the ditch.
@Jack Byrne: 250 BILLION euro in debt. A housing crisis. Non-functioning health service. Cost of living crisis. All under current management.
Yep. the current government are playing a blinder alright J.
@Jack Byrne: Sinn Fein haven’t been in power, maybe they might be worse than previous governments but I’m more than happy to take a chance.
@Jack Byrne: how will you ever know what will change if you keep voting for a crowd who puts its people second without actually giving the opposition a chance to put up or shut up? Remember, Sinn Féin have NEVER been in government since the foundation of the state. You can’t logically put any blame on the state of the place on them. I’m sure the money is there, it’s always been there, but you have to look at the amount FFG waste year after year.
@David Corrigan: David, would it really matter who is in government? Let’s admit it, it’s the civil servants that have been running this country.
@Jim Buckley Barrett: I would agree with that Jim. When in government FF/FG/G/Labour would have taken good care of their own though. Hard to know if other parties would do the same thing until we see them in power. Cutting out cronyism and things like that might be all we can hope for.
Interesting times ahead.
@Patricia O’Brien: actually over the last 100 years we have done extremely well as a country .. specifically in the last 40 years.. if you don’t realise that, you are blind
@Ciaran: jesus… maybe you’ve done well… fffg tend to look after their own but there’s a whole country out there that will tell u a different story, but u just want to ignore them dont u ? U just want to pretend they don’t exist. Suits ur narrative.
@Patricia O’Brien: ok let’s go back to 50
Years ago with mass unemployment and the rarity of having a toilet indoors in most houses..
@Ciaran: and who was in power then ?
What are u even on about , so if SF are in power we will all have to pee outside? Lol ur grasping there now are u … ;)
@Patricia O’Brien: Well we’ve gone from a abjectly impoverished, poorly educated, sparsley industrialised, extremely socially conservative fledgling state with dreadful infrastructure to one of the wealthiest, best educated, socially liberal countries in the world.
Someone must have made it happen.
My father was born into unspeakable poverty in the early 1900s, left school at 12 and reached retirement with a battered and broken body after a lifetime of hard work but he ensured along with our mother that all his kids got the best education available along with a strong moral grounding and now his grandchildren have the opportunity to be whatever they want largely because of his hard work and foresight.
The same is true for so many families across the country.
To say we’ve done well as a country over the last 100 years is a vast understatement but of course some would prefer to bitch and moan about what we don’t have.
@Patricia O’Brien: Ciaran is probably in FG or FF head office.. how can anyone defend what is happening in this country.. unless a paid up member of FFFG..
@Tom Kelly: I haven’t voted FG/FF in 35 years.
However there are times when finding an alternative is tough / impossible.
@David Corrigan: “250 BILLION euro in debt. A housing crisis. Non-functioning health service. Cost of living crisis.” You do realise that practically every western country is dealing with all these issues as well don’t you??
Do you really think that if Sinn Fein or any other alternative gained power in the last election we’d be better off and they’d have somehow managed to magic away all those problems?
@Stanley Marsh: not only every other country, but Northern Ireland where SF are the largest party and the housing minister is a Sinn Fein MLA. Meanwhile the leader of that party is globetrotting first class to €1,000 a head SF dinner dances. Did someone say crisis?
@Tom Kelly: sure.. deviate from the point and try and put in an attempted witty one liner. That’s the populist way..
And btw I don’t care for any party
@Stanley Marsh: I showed my Swedish wife your comment how every European country have a non functional health system-she laughed..lots of ye fellas on the pierce piece in cahoots spouting utter tripe
@Brian Burns: Well that’s not exactly what I said now Billy is it?
But if thats the way you need to dress it up to suit your agenda then I think we can all imagine who your political role models are.
@Jack Byrne: In fairness Jack, Sinn Fein are the largest party in opposition. Their mandate is to speak for and protect the most vulnerable in our society and at the moment ‘workers and families’ fit that description. It won’t sit well with you when eventually Fianna Fail go into government with them after the next general election. Remember Micheál Martin doesn’t have any scruples when it means another attachment to his ever increasing pension pot.
@Brian Burns: aw no, you (and the mrs) missed the word “practically” Briany?!! Haha….
@Stanley Marsh: well hopefully we’ll find out next time round.
@Paul Linehan: I don’t the workers and their families who SF is “protecting” will have taken too well to the news that Mary Lou is swanning around the globe on first class flights sipping champers and having dinner dates with SF supporters for €1,000 a seat. They won’t take to well to her lifestyle, preaching to the proletariat while she retreats to her white house mansion while supposedly earning the average industrial wage. They won’t like the news that she doesn’t school her kids in the working class area next door in Cabra but instead shuttles them to middle class Glasnevin. They won’t like the news of embezzling tax payers money up North for Covid grants. Champagne socialists like Mary Lou and Co don’t protect the working class, they feed off them and their votes to better themselves
@Patricia O’Brien: there is no viable alternative. End of.
Ah the magic shinner money tree.
@Dave Connolly: to be fair all parties are picking from it at the moment!!
@Dave Connolly: how’d that work out with Theresa May?
@Dave Connolly: the same tree fffg have when it comes to civil servants… the same tree when it comes to esb credits the same tree when it comes to subsidies to property developers? That money tree ?
@Dave Connolly: You do realise that we’re 250 billion in debt, and sinn fein had nothing to do with that.
@The Bolt:
Apart from the cost of the ‘troubles’
@Mary King: The Troubles are over Mary, catch up.
@The Bolt: eh you do realise that Sinn Fein voted for the State bank guarantee in Sept 2008. It’s amazing how little SF supporters actually know about the party that they vote for.
@Mary King: your forgetting the tribunals.
@GrumpyAulFella: And if they hadn’t? Would they be blamed for that mess as well? Oh look, sinn fein caused the Irish financial system to collapse by voting against the bank guarantee. They weren’t in government at the time, blame doesn’t lie with them.
@Patricia O’Brien: But at least we know FF,FG etc don’t have a real one, people still believe SF have this magic money tree that will fix everything,I actually hope SF get into power next election just to show the people they don’t have this magic solution.
@Daniel Roche: When will FF/FG give back the “magic money tree” to SF Danny? They are spending like there is no tomorrow and still nothing is improving.
@Dave Connolly: You government lackies are seriously lacking in the arithmetic department. SF haven’t spent one cent in state expenditure yet FF & FG have us in debt to the tune of €250b and rising. Why do you bury your head in the sand by trying to pass the buck onto the opposition who are powerless? According to the latest Red C opinion poll, SF are on 34%, FG 18% & FF 13%. That is a reflection on how society judge the performance of the 3 biggest parties in the state and is a clear indictment on how out of touch FF/FG are.
@The Bolt: calm down lad. You said they had nothing to do with the bailout. You were wrong, they had everything to do with the bailout. They voted in favour of it. So SF along with other parties, bailed out the banks and saddled us with this debt.
@Frank Cauldhame: it’s a reflection of how toxic SF are if they can only poll 34% after 100% years of mismanagement. Almost 70% of voters still won’t touch them with a bargepole. Champagne Mary will be out with the begging bowl again after the next election pleading with one of the others to go in with her. She’s FF after all so she’ll probably fancy her chances with Martin. Sure she was a Bertie fan when she was a FF member so is well in with Martin.
@GrumpyAulFella: Clutching at straws there now lad
@The Bolt: Not an extreme figure considering our peers in the world
@The Bolt: SF can do no wrong haha
@GrumpyAulFella: u need to read back over your rants… your unraveling lol
We think it bad now, wait until Sinn Fein get in at the next election ….. and they will get in. Then people will know true poverty.
@Richard Carroll: I’d rather take that chance than let the shower that are in charge at the moment get another term.
@Richard Carroll: lol really? And fffg one party, one policies… theyve done us proud havent they… so we should just have the poverty caused by them, cos that’s a different poverty is it ?
Stop repeating the fffg mantra, it’s worn thin.
@Richard Carroll: The FG types never knew true poverty and never will thanks to guess who, FG.
@Σ ΛΛ ΛΛ Θ: exactly
@Σ ΛΛ ΛΛ Θ: Only problem can’t see them getting in on their own and what looney left will they bring,like FF,FG bringing the greens in.
I do think the government can do more but I think targeted help rather than “cash payments”.
Cash payments runs the risk of further inflation.
Fuel and groceries seem to be the main areas affected by this crisis so cut the VAT rates on those as much as possible along with other items whitin the government’s control.
Surely most people can understand that if you go chasing inflation with large and/or multiple wage increases it’ll only make things worse in the long run.
@Stanley Marsh: that’s not entirely true. Did ministers get pay increases? Do companies directors get pay increases. Part of the inflation problem is the lock down & now we are out of that people are going on a spending spree. That will end eventually. Also house price inflation is playing a big role with inflation here and yet the state in pumping money in to construction companies to address that. Would not reducing the prices on land and planning not address this huge inflation issue in this sector. Wages have not been meeting living costs for a long time. It time to transfer wealth back to working class and middle class families and stop this ridiculous notion that they have to be burdened with the responsibility of inflation. Its an old idea. Its time to bin it.
@Stanley Marsh: do more? To wipe up the absolute shambles they’ve turned this country unto ?
@Allora: Many people get pay increases, most of them planned and predetermined.
But it’s the additional wage demands as a response to inflation that’s the problem not the normal increase people would have gotten regardless.
Yes the post pandemic surge in damand has contributed but this has been magnified significantly by the serious issues on the supply chain side which will be with us long after demand has subsided.
We’ve been grappling with our housing problem for a lot longer than this current inflation crisis.
” It time to transfer wealth back to working class and middle class families…” How?
@Patricia O’Brien: “absolute shambles” How so?
It’s far from perfect but I wouldn’t describe it as an absolute shambles.
Many, many people come to this absolute shambles every year to live and work.
We have a Pole, Indian, Austrian and Iranian working in our small office and they all think it’s a great country….apart from the weather.
@Stanley Marsh: tell that to the 75 yr old who worked their whole life here,now on a trolly in hospital for 18 hours , tell that to the young couple with a kid who can’t get a home so are stuck in rented acc, costing a fortune, paying a fortune in childcare, tell that to the family of 5 who are worried sick cos they can’t afford the heating, and can’t afford the food bill, school uniforms and books on the horizon, it shouldn’t be just about making ends meet, people want a life too ya know…yeah, great country fffg have ran into the ground.
@Patricia O’Brien: And tell me Patricia, how will Sinn Fein solve all those problems?
@Stanley Marsh: tumbleweed. You can’t ask a question like that of a shinner. Imagine if the 79 year old and young family and child lived in NI with a SF housing minister overseeing a worse housing crisis than here, the collapse of the NHS, worse education record in the UK, worse inflation crisis now than here, paltry welfare system but we’re led to believe that this party, the largest in NI and in charge of that shambles, will wave a magic wand down here. Champagne Mary, Convict Pearse, NIMBY O’Broin and David Up the Ra Cullinane are going to make our worries go away.
@Stanley Marsh: don’t know if they can but the current mob in have made it worse year after year for last ten years and more.I think it’s about time we try someone else
@Brian Burns: I’m sorry but I really don’t follow your logic. ‘I don’t think the current “mob” are doing very well so let’s try someone else who on all known information (NI) won’t do any better and could do a lot worse given their left wing, rich-man-bad, poor-man-good, big business hating, money will grow on trees approach’.
I’m not a fan of the American way but I wouldn’t be for swinging completely towards Havana either.
@Stanley Marsh: wage increases & through taxation. Also you live in a privileged world. Wages among the working class have been stagnant for 30 plus years. So let’s say there’s no solution to the transfer of wealth do you think this huge wealth inequality can continue? History is not your strong point. We could see the rise of the proliteriate and red revolutions across Europe. Remember the next generation don’t remember the soviet Union. What then? Will you come up with a solution? The fact its something you cant even consider counts you out. This can’t go on. It won’t go on. Humans are violent creatures. Our own history should inform you on that.
@Allora: Remarkable. A lot of assumptions and rhetoric there and yet not so much as a hint of an actual solution.
Again.
” It time to transfer wealth back to working class and middle class families…” How?
Pearce Doherty change the record it’s on repeat repeat repeat . We know
More rhetoric from the shinners
@Noel Donohue: as opposed to more fake supports from fffg, , how are we in such a state when thry are the only boys that have been in power for 100 yrs ?
Its all very well to put reactive motion after reactive motion forward with reactive legislation but theres a few things missing.
How much will it cost the taxpayer? Will the measures be temporary or permanent? Have each scenario been costed? Is it sustainable with the proposed cut in duties? If renters are getting a tax credit why shouldn’t mortgage owners? Is it only low and middle income earners that will get any benefit? Has is been ascertained how many businesses will close or shed jobs with a sudden minimum wage increase?
Easy to come up with a million suggested solutions that hit soundbites but have no way of working.
Increasing payment supports will cause more inflation and then when you won’t politically be able to reverse them
@Brax Braxton: try explaining that to Sinn Fein supporters. They only want to hear the “ fairy stories”
@Brax Braxton: yeah but it sounds good and gets more votes. It’s like saying give first time buyers money in their hands to buy houses in the hope that houses prices will drop as a result. The opposite will happen. Drop the tax on fuel again. Once fuel goes up, everything goes up.
@Brax Braxton: bang on! The Shinners never had a suggestion that was fully thought through.
@Ian McDonald: I’m pretty sure that their budget does get checked over by the department of finance every year, il vote for Sinn Fein to try something different, I’m earning decent money but I feel poor in this country something needs to change
@Darren Mulligan: well get your vaseline ready, Darren, cos you’re in for one h3ll of a hard ride
They can hold emergency session to bail out bankers but can’t meet to bail out ordinary people, who pay their wages… Our taxes pay their salaries and they’ll give themselves increases but won’t give us a break…
SF let’s shake the magic money tree. That’s the populist game.
There doesn’t seem to be anything in the article about how much these measures will cost. Our borrowing costs are already increasing so should we be continuing to add to the national debt and the increased costs servicing this debt. If the government insist on waiting until October and the budget to bring in measures then they need to be brought in straight away rather than having to wait months like most years.
For Pearse Doherty and Sinn Fein it’s easy to be in opposition and be critical of the current government. It’s gonna be funny when all these people that will vote them in next time(and they will get in) will get a sad reality check that it was all talk & promises.
Remember when France taxed the rich & they all left and their economy shrank so much they had to negotiate them back. It just doesn’t work. They promise Europhia but won’t be able to deliver
While I agree something needs to be done but I dont believe timing is correct. If a temp budget would be put in place, that takes time and cant be done over night.
I would rather the dept of finance work on a good solid October budget for all then split the resources between temp and official budget and only produce a half arsed one
And where is SF’s detailed plan to pay for this. Nowhere, they have none only populist bull.
Change the record Pearse.
Tiocfaidh ár slaw!
Basically that amounts to a €10 billion war chest which they hope to amass with 18 months to add as much as possible to it. Then they will attempt to buy the next election with the people’s own money in final year of this corporate welfare government. Only to deliver another 4 years of nest feathering for their business/corporate buddies at people’s expense again.
have your say