As well as pointing out similarities it is important to acknowledge the difference in the experience of Ireland and Latin America, and the areas in which Irish people can take action to influence policy. While both are affected by the wider economic realities of liberalised trading, the position of Ireland as a member of the EU is qualitatively different to that of Latin American countries. The EU continues to advocate the liberalisation and privatisation of agricultural sectors in the many of the poorest countries in the world through Economic Partnership Agreements –EPAs - and Association Agreements, while subsidising its own production, particularly in areas such as biofuels, with serious negative consequences for the Global South. Negotiations in the W.T.O. and bilateral agreements treat government agricultural subsidies as if they were the same issue for developed and developing countries, for agribusiness and for family farmers. Would it be possible to create subsidies that encourage society's goals of agriculture that leads to creation of stable livelihoods, a sustainable food supply, and environmental conservation, and eliminate those that work contrary to those interests? Another area of examination is whether institutions of global governance should allow a small number of transnational companies to control so much of our global food supply. Similarly, the issue of patents on living organisms will feature in the content of the programme. Many patents have led to cases of looting of public gene banks by private interests. The production and promotion of patented plant and seed products has led to genetic contamination and stolen knowledge and livelihoods from small farmers and indigenous peoples.

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