A Dáil committee has recommended a moratorium on the selling of online adverts for baby formula.
It recommends a ban on advertising to children online - including for junk food, alcohol, high fat/salt/sugar foods and gambling.
Rules are already in place on TV and radio under the FSAI but this recommendation would extend it to online.
Fine Gael Senator Tim Lombard told Lunchtime Live baby formula does not belong in the same category.
"I think when you put infant formula, and a ban on infant formula... being advertised online in the same category as junk food, alcohol, high fat, salt, all these issues - even gambling - I think it gives up the wrong impression of what actually baby formula is.
"I think baby formula has no comparison to alcohol or junk food or gambling issues".
He says such a move would be disrespectful to many people.
"I know there's strict regulations on advertising it, which have been in place for a long time, and we all realise that breast is best.
"But when it comes to actually putting baby infant formula into that same category, I think it does a disrespectful service to the actual industry, to the farms and to the community itself.
"We all know the benefit of breast is best, but the real issue here is we can't just talking down [sic] an actual product that's needed by a certain proportion of people - or women in particular - that they need it because of circumstances of their life at the time.
"I just think we need to have a proportionate response, and I don't think having a moratorium - which is an unusual phrase in its own right - is appropriate".
'Continuation' of WHO code
Senator Lombard says an online moratorium on adverts of high-fat and junk foods, alcohol and gambling makes sense - but this does not.
"Then we had baby formula put into that list... a moray of foods or products.
"I don't think baby formula has a place there when you talk about alcohol or when you talk about junk food.
"If anything baby formula is a nutritious product that's used by a proportion of society because they need it a certain time".
Social Democrat TD Jennifer Whitmore says while alcohol and baby formula cannot be compared, Ireland has obligations.
"Ireland has signed up to the World Health Organisation Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes.
"And this is just a continuation of that: you are not allowed in print or media to actually advertise baby formula for under six-month-olds.
"Personally I would like to see that extended, beyond six-month-olds, because I do think what we need to be doing is actually supporting mothers to make the choice to breastfeed.
"And I think that support isn't available to them - whether it's within hospital or when they leave the hospital - because there's such resourcing issues with the HSE when it comes to lactation consultants.
"So I actually think what's happening in a lot of instances is that the formula companies are sort of filling this information and support gap that has been left by Government".
She adds that there is an initiation rate of 64% of women in hospital, but this "rapidly drops off" afterwards.
