Róisín Garvey (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The more products we buy, the more jobs we create. That is why labelling should be brought up by Enterprise Ireland. It is not just me and includes Bord Bia and other people. It is an old problem we have had for years. My sister has a very successful goat's cheese business, St. Tola Goat’s Cheese, and she has fought the labelling issue for years as a small producer. Imports are allowed to come in, they stick a Celtic cross on them and wrap it around, and it looks like they were milking the goats themselves. I know that issue of old.

This industry is a great job creator. If we look at horticulture and artisan food, they create so many more jobs per acre of land than mass farming or intensive farming. I have several friends who work in that sector, including several friends who are fruit growers. They are creating jobs at a rate of one per acre. Show me a commercial farm that is providing a job per acre. Most farmers say they are barely able to make a living for themselves out of it. There is huge scope, in particular scope for exporting quality food from Ireland. We need to look at that sector and develop it more if we are talking about enterprise.

Many more jobs could be created if we addressed land use in Ireland. If we change how we use land, it will also have a massive impact on reaching our carbon targets. At the moment, mass commercial farming has ruined the topsoil and every inch of topsoil holds thousands of kilos of carbon.

Regenerative farming and food production on a smaller scale creates more jobs and it increases our carbon sequestration. It is a really interesting aspect and I would like Enterprise Ireland to look at that. I would love to see a section of the agency focusing on sustainable or green opportunities that climate change is bringing and the solutions offered to put Ireland on the map in this regard. It is so important at this critical time. Brexit gives us the chance to do this.

I did not get the link on all the Enterprise Ireland supports to businesses.