Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Senator on our capacity to do more in horticulture and to be more self-sufficient, at a minimum by meeting our national needs across vegetable and fruit lines. The horticulture strategy is under development. This issue is a key consideration in that. We can produce and we can do horticulture well in this country. We should do more of it. We have seen a contraction in the number of horticulture producers and farmers. The sector has become very specialised and there has been a real contraction in numbers. There was a concern last year, particularly for some of the housed horticultural products, in relation to energy. I ran a scheme because we did not want to see any further reduction in that. It is now really about how we try to promote horticulture. A lot of our horticulture production and produce is for the domestic market, so it is much different from lamb, beef and milk, which are mostly exported. It is mainly for domestic consumption. We need to ensure the supply chain relationships are healthy and the producers are not in a vulnerable position or overexposed. The office of the new food regulator is going to have an important role to play in trying to ensure that relationship is promoted and we provide more certainty and confidence to growers when they are growing for the domestic market so that the relationships are strong. It is an area in which we have to do more. That makes entire sense in terms of short supply chains locally and reducing our emissions footprint.

In relation to ACRES and the importance of training all Department staff as well as advisers and farmers through that scheme, the Senator is right. It is a really important part of the work. There is a significant reorientation in how this environmental scheme will operate because it is results-based as opposed to actions-based. It is about what the outcome is as opposed to simply what is being done. As we speak, there is in-service training going on for the agricultural inspectors. There will also be training for the advisers and farmers. That is going to be an important piece of work to ensure the quality is strong.