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After weeks of speculation and an unprecedented series of leaks we’ll finally get to hear the details of Budget 2013 this afternoon. All eyes will no doubt be on the backbench TDs of both parties with particular interest in how labour TDs will react to the cuts and tax hikes. Will the details be enough for some to jump ship or will the fact that it looks like education will be largely protected and that high income pensioners are being hit, be enough to allow the TDs of both parties to say the budget is tough but “fair”.

Joining Pat was Stephen Collins, Political Editor of the Irish Times.

The killing of Eamon Kelly who was gunned town near his home in North Dublin is believed to have been linked to a feud between dissident republicans and crime gangs.

The veteran gangster – he was sixty five - had been living under threat of death. It’s believed he’d become a target because he refused to pay protection money to the Real IRA.

Mick McCaffery is the Crime Correspondent of the Sunday World.

Who makes Christmas own brand?

More then ever Irish consumers want to support Irish business and that means buying Irish produced food.

But at the same time more of us are buying own brand in order to save money.

So when buying food this Christmas, how do you reconcile the two?

In fact many Irish producers work with the supermarkets to produce own brand products. Tina Leonard was here to explain more and to tell us who some of those Irish producers are.

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How you know if the own brand product is Irish

1. You won’t be able to look for the ‘Love Irish Food’ or ‘Guaranteed Irish’ symbols but where fresh meat and dairy is concerned check for the Bord Bia and National Dairy Council marks. 2. Many supermarkets have their own symbols for Irish products, such as a shamrock or Irish flag so look out for those. 3. Check the packaging to see if the country of origin is mentioned. 4. Some supermarkets (i.e. Lidl) tend to use Ireland to mean the ‘island of Ireland’ so bear that in mind. However, others (i.e. Alidi) use different labels to indicate if a product is from the roi or ni. 5. To find out where the last production area was for meat and dairy products check the packaging for an EU approval number that identifies the final processing plant i.e. not origin necessarily but the final stage of processing. It will consist of IE or UK for Ireland or the UK, then a number and then EC.

Why country of origin isn’t always indicated

The reason why country of origin isn’t always indicated is because, very simply, it doesn’t have to be.

Under EU food labelling law foods that must include country of origin are: raw beef and veal; raw poultry meat from a third country; fruit and veg; honey.

Labels on those products must follow certain rules i.e. beef has to be born, raised and slaughtered in the country named and fruit and veg has to be grown in the country.

It is NOT compulsory for any other food to include a country of origin label unless its absence would mislead the consumer. So for example, a product with an Irish place-name, if not actually made in Ireland would have to include the country of origin so that consumers do not wrongly assume it is made in Ireland.

But for ready meals that include meat for example, the situation with regard to origin is far from clear for the consumer. For example, in a chicken ready meal the chicken may not be Irish but it is okay to say ‘product of Ireland’, if the production / ‘substantive transformation’ took place here.

And for many products, the packaging might simply indicate that the product was made especially for the particular supermarket and no more. However, given the current trend of promoting Irish produce to customers you can safely assume that if the own brand product isn’t proudly labeled as being Irish then it is now.

So the products may be Irish but who makes them?

Even if you discover that the own brand product is Irish, you still may want to know who the producer is and that could be a little more difficult.

The fact is that sometimes the producer doesn’t want you to know (to protect their own brand i.e. Odlums, Johnston, Mooney & O Brien), whereas in other instances they may be happy to be associated with the product and their name may be on the package i.e. The Scullery, or used in promotion i.e. farmers and fishermen. Even so, in many cases you just won’t know.

Some own brand Christmas product ‘stories’

Poinsettias

If you go to Marks & Spencer; well known as a British store, to but a poinsettia this Christmas, rest assured that it comes from Keelings, a Dublin based multi-national company that grows and distributes fruit vegetables and flowers.

Superquinn’s poinsettias are sourced from Peter Byrne’s Nurseries in Three-Mile-Water, Brittas Bay, Co. Wicklow and this year he will be producing 12,000 premium plants for Superquinn in two grades. Superquinn has been sourcing Poinsettia from Peter for 10 years now and our volume requirement has increased every year from 4000 plants in our first year to 12,000 this year. Over at Dunnes Stores Irish growers Peter and Noeleen McMahon supply their Poinsettias. Chocolates

Lir chocolates is a Co Meath company you’re bound to know from their own branded products. But did you know that they make Lidl’s Deluxe Irish Chocolate Selection? And they also make Marks & Spencer’s chocolate supplying both to Irish and UK stores. For M&S Lir make the Amazing assortment of personalities Christmas tree, Amazing assortment of personalities chocolate domes, Italian style dessert chocolate bar and the M&S Collection Marc de Champagne truffles.

Irish producers making for several supermarkets

Often the same Irish producer’s name will pop up in relation to various supermarkets. Here are just some examples when it comes to Christmas products:

• Seerys Bakery in Co Carlow – Making cakes for for Aldi and Tesco • Grove Farm, Co Monaghan – Supplying turkeys to Lidl, Tesco, Dunnes Stores and Superquinn • Carty Meats, Westmeath – to Supervalu and Superquinn • Traditional Cheese Company – Supplying cheeses to Aldi, Dunnes Stores, SuperValu and Superquinn.

Who makes Christmas own brand?

Many supermarkets are focusing on their relationships with Irish producers and making that a selling point to shop at their store. So who makes Christmas own brand?

Aldi

• Over 50% of grocery sales generated by Irish products. • Aldi partners with over 125 Irish suppliers, producers and manufacturers. • They have tripled their spend on Irish products over the past five years which, they say, has helped maintain over 20,000 jobs across the Irish food industry. 1 • All the Nature’s Isle fresh poultry, beef, pork and lamb is sourced exclusively from Republic of Ireland farms certified under the Bord Bia scheme. Nature’s Isle Ham Fillet, Specially Selected Cured or Smoked Irish Rashers – Callan Bacon, Co Kilkenny Specially Selected Irish organic Smoked Salmon – William Carr & Sons, Co Mayo Specially Selected Brie and Camembert – Traditional Cheese Company, Dublin Byrne’s bakery Xmas Pudding – Seerys Co Carlow Novelty Iced Christmas Cake – Staffords Bakery, Wexford. Lidl

• 47 % of all grocery sales in Lidl stores are generated from products sourced from Irish suppliers, producers and manufacturers. • More than 100 suppliers; approximately 80 in the Republic of Ireland with more than 25 in Northern Ireland. • Lidl’s fresh beef, pork, lamb and chicken is 100% Bord Bia quality assured.

Fresh duck – Silver Hill Foods, Co Monaghan Range of turkeys – Grove Farm, Co Monaghan Ham, Glensallagh and Deluxe rashers – Oakpark in Co Tipperary Salmon, mackerel, cod fillets – Keohane Seafoods in West Cork Deluxe tomato relish; The Scullery, Co Tipperary Bridge Bakery cakes – Comerford Brothers, Co Kildare. SuperValu

• Consists of locally owned franchises • In September announced contracts with 104 Irish suppliers worth in excess of €80million. • Special Christmas range created by celebrity chef Kevin Dundon in conjunction with ten of Supervalu’s Irish suppliers. The range consists of fifteen Christmas food items which, they say, will result in over €841,00 being generated in retail sales alongside the creation of 22 jobs.

SuperValu Christmas Baking Kit (Kevin Dundon Christmas Cake Kit), Cloverhill, Millstreet, Co Cork Turkey joint with apricot and apple stuffing – IGWT, Co Monaghan; Streaky rashers – Carty Meaths, Athlone; Cocktail sausage range – Mallons, Co Monaghan; Smoked salmon range and pate & Salmon and spinach encroute – Dunns, Dublin SuperValu Crab Claws, Crab Meat & Crab and Prawn pack & flavoured prawns, Shellfish de la Mer, Cork SV Supreme Chocolate Dessert Shots Selection and SV Supreme Fruit Dessert Shots Selection, Couverture, Dublin SuperValu Supreme Carvery Rib Roast, Kepak, Cork SuperValu Cheese Selections and SV Supreme Selections, Traditional Cheese Company, Dublin SuperValu Butcher Style Sausages with pork & chestnut, Mallons in Monaghan SuperValu Eye Loin of Bacon with Clove & Brown Sugar Glaze, Carty Meats, Athlone Tesco

• Over 100 Irish companies produce approximately 2,000 products for Tesco own brand. • They sell over €200 million worth of Irish products each year as part of our own label ranges in Ireland and in the UK. • Exports of Irish produce to Tesco internationally represent 9% of overall food and drink exports from Ireland, equal to €705.8million. • Tesco work with 400 Irish suppliers, 300 of which are companies with less than 5 employees. Irish full hams and a new range of Christmas meals made easy – Hilton meats, Co Louth Range of cooked hams – O Brien Fine Foods in Kildare Range of turkeys – Grove Turkeys in Co Monaghan Tesco mince pie logs – Golden Bake in Dublin Tesco Christmas puddings – Seerys Bakery in Co Carlow. Irish cranberries – Slieve Bloom in Offaly Irish Porter Glazed Hams, Carroll’s Cuisine, Co Offaly Cranberry and mulled wine stuffed turkey, Green Farm Foods, Westmeath

Superquinn • Range of turkeys and hams are 100% Irish and Bord Bia approved. • Over 75% of grocery own label products are sourced from Irish producers and suppliers. Range of turkeys - Grove Turkeys Co Monaghan Range of hams – Carty Meats, Westmeath All seafood including SQ Salmon topped with an orange cranberry and Christmas spices and our Superquinn Salmon Rosettes stuffed with a festive stuffing - Oceanpath in Howth Various deserts including SQ Belgian Chocolate Bombe, SQ Raspberry Panna cotta and Superwuinn Christmas chocolate yule log – Fuscos in Co Dublin. SQ luxury pudding in ceramic bowl, SQ luxury micemeat and SQ luxury mince pies, Foods of Athenry, Co Galway Speciality Cheeses – Traditional Cheese Company, Dublin Dunnes Stores Own brand turkeys – Grove Farm in Monaghan and Hogans Hams, Callan in Co Kilkenny and Oakpark in Co Tipperary Mice pies – Thornhaven, Dublin Cake – Staffords Bakery, Wexford and O’Haras in Foxford, Co Mayo Salmon – William Carr & Sons, Co Mayo, Nolans Seafood in Dublin Vegetables – Leo Dunne and Joe Finnegan Cheese Selection – The Traditional Cheese Company, Dublin Christmas Puddings – Heatherfield, Co Carlow Deserts – Prestige Foods in Co Kerry and Heatherfield, Co Carlow Relish – Follain, Co Cork Cranberry Sauce and ham glaze – Lakeshore (Boyne Valley Group) Seasonal cream – Connaught Gold Marks & Spencer

Smoked Irish Salmon – Dunns in Dublin Selection of artisan cheeses – Horgans in Co Cork Amazing assortment of personalities Christmas tree, Amazing assortment of personalities chocolate domes, Italian style dessert chocolate bar, M&S Collection Marc de Champagne truffles – Lir chocolates, Co Meath Classic Butter-basted turkey breast joint – Moy Park, NI Special reserve sirloin joint, Crown of lamb with winter fruits, rose veal boneless sirloin, Forerib of beef with horseradish butter – Linden foods, NI Pack of four hand crafted mince pies, Genesis, NI

Hillary Clinton will be among 57 foreign ministers attending a meeting of the OSCE ministerial council in the RDS tomorrow and Friday.

The former First Lady has been the international face of U.S foreign policy for the past four years . Now as she comes to the end of her run in the U.S State Department what’s next for Hillary, how likely is it that she’ll run for the U.S. Presidency next time around and what contribution has she made on the world stage?

Joining Pat in studio to assess Mrs Clinton’s role in shaping American foreign policy were Graham Finlay, Lecturer, School of Politics, UCD, John Feffer, Co Director, Foreign Policy in Focus, Institute for Policy Studies and Niall O’Dowd, Publisher of Irish Central.com

Strong in the Rain: Surviving Japan’s Earthquake, Tsunami and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

By Lucy Birmingham and David McNeill (Published by Palgrave Macmillan)

There is no nation in the world more prepared than Japan to handle an earthquake, and yet the one that struck about 60 kilometres off its northeast coast 11 March 2011, unleashed a chain of events that paralysed the country and killed thousands of people. For many Japanese, 11 March is an on-going nightmare. Evacuees may have to wait four decades before they return to what had been their homes. And throughout the tsunami zone, residents are trying to rebuild lives and communities, but recovery has been very slow. Lucy Birmingham, and David McNeill, Japan correspondents for Time magazine and the Independent, chronicle the events of 11March 2011, when the world turned in horror to the events unfolding in Japan in their new book, Strong in the Rain: Surviving Japan’s Earthquake, Tsunami and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster. What emerges is a story that seems retrospectively inevitable and many deaths that could have been prevented.

Valerie Cox reported from the High Court on the Marie Fleming Assisted Suicide challenge.