Ms Sinéad McPhillips:

The last meeting of the beef round table was in October 2018. The Minister used the opportunity to urge stakeholders to recognise their interdependency and to support the sector through examination of mechanisms to add value along the supply chain and increase the strength of all links in the supply chain. We normally have two of those meetings a year. While there are no meetings planned as yet for this year, I hope there will be because, as the Chairman said, getting people around the table is positive.

I mentioned the Food Wise meat implementation group, chaired by Mr. Michael Dowling, which included a range of stakeholders from processors and farm organisations.

It was a very positive group and it came up with some very useful input that has been added in the form of actions to implement Food Wise 2025.

I will touch on some of the questions asked by a range of committee members. There can be a slight misconception about the Food Wise 2025 projections, particularly the €19 billion in exports. Food Wise 2025 is an enabling strategy that seeks to assist the agrifood sector to develop to the best of its potential. It includes very detailed actions the Department, its agencies and other Departments should take, from a policy point of view, to create the best environment for the sector to grow and prosper. The committee that developed Food Wise 2025 projected that if all of the recommendations are implemented, the opportunity is there to increase exports by up to €19 billion by 2025. That figure is not specific in that it was not broken down into sectoral targets; it is a vision of the opportunity that exists.

In terms of where we are in working towards the vision behind Food Wise 2025, total exports last year were €13.6 billion. The opportunity is certainly there, particularly in the context of the feedback on market development we get from Bord Bia. If we did not have Brexit - the elephant in the room - I could quite confidently state that €19 billion in exports is certainly achievable. When Bord Bia looked to growth markets in Asia, it discovered significant demand for additional protein. Also, there is a growing middle and upper classes in those markets who want premium quality western-type products. We are well placed to fill the demand in this regard.