Plan aims to boost food exports by 40%

An ambitious ten-year plan for the agriculture and fisheries sector aims to increase food and beverage exports by more than 40 per cent and boost value of primary production by farmers and fishermen by €1.5 billion euro.

The Food Harvest 2020 report, developed by 30 figures from the agri-food sector, contains 209 recommendations.

It says that milk output should grow by 50 per cent and beef output by 20 per cent in the next ten years. It proposes the creation of an umbrella brand for Irish food and drink, to capitalise on Ireland’s green and natural reputation.

Launching the report, Taoiseach Brian Cowen said agriculture was depicted by some commentators as “a thing of the past” but it would play a key part in the restructuring of the economy.

“At a time perhaps in the last decade when we’ve seen employment reduced by 1,500 in the agri-food sector, we see the prospect of 3,500 to 4,000 jobs being created by 2020 under these plans,” he said.

The report points out that the agri-food and fisheries sector directly employs more than 150,000 people and accounts for 60 per cent of manufacturing exports by indigenous firms, or €7 billion. It sets a target of increasing this export value to €12 billion by 2020.

It says that access to credit is a key management issue for the food industry and recommends that the provision of credit to the agri-food and fisheries industry be specifically monitored to ensure that the growth of viable businesses is not inhibited through lack of credit.

The Irish Farmers’ Association welcomed the report’s publication and pledged its support. Its president, John Bryan was a member of the committee which drew up the report. He said the €12 billion export and €1.5 billion primary output targets were achievable with Government help.

“Government support in assisting competitiveness and supporting vital farm schemes is critical for this to happen,” he said

Ibec’s Irish Dairy Industries Association, which represents dairy producers, urged the Government to remove remaining barriers to growth.

Senior executive Michael Barry said the vision for growth was credible if backed by the right government policies. “Increasing output requires a renewed focus on competitiveness.”