Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

The answer to the question is: "Absolutely." The Deputy pointed to one of my concerns with Food Harvest 2020. When milk quotas come to an end in 2015, we will see an explosion of ambition in the dairy sector because we will see a significant increase in dairy production. For example, in Cork we will see a doubling of the volume of milk being produced. We must do that. It will be the same in Waterford, Wexford, parts of Tipperary and many other counties that have the capacity to do so. I do not just refer to Munster. In addition to achieving a 50% increase in volumes of milk by 2020, the counties that do not have the capacity to deliver an increase in dairy volumes must be supported in doing other things that are part of the food harvest programme.

If we are to have the kind of beef industry we all want then we cannot rely solely on the by-product of the dairy sector. We must have suckler herds of high quality cattle in order that we can provide the best quality beef in the world. In volume terms, 6% of the beef we export is prime cut steak but it represents 26% of the value of beef exports. We must ensure that as well as having volume, we have quality in the beef sector. We must put the necessary supports in place to ensure that can continue. That will be part of the Common Agricultural Policy review which is under way at the moment.

See this speech in context