Dr. James Moran:

With these overarching policies, Food Harvest 2020 and Food Vision 2030, we must remember that when the Food Harvest 2020 policy was done, we were just at the point of the economic crash. At the time, the country was on its knees. It was looking to some indigenous industry within Ireland that could grow us out of the economic catastrophe we were in at the time. It looked to agriculture. This is why we saw an overriding emphasis on production growth. They knew the writing was on the wall at the time and that the dairy quotas were going to go and be lifted in 2013, which left a huge possibility for expansion. This was an industry-led policy. The industry was always going to look to seize that opportunity at the time, and that is what it did. There was some talk around it that there should have been more encompassing of sustainability, but the economics trumped everything else there. It was like a heavy weight on top of society and the environment in terms of the consequences. The consequences were predicted by EPA and by the environmental assessments of that. At the time it was a case of "We are in such an economic situation; drive on". Where we are at with the nitrates directive this week is a consequence of that.

Some of the language in terms of policy was moderated in Food Vision 2030. If you look at the language of the missions and goals of Food Vision 2030, they have sustainability all over them, including meeting the sustainable development goals. It looks very good but I believe it was Deputy O'Rourke who alluded to some of the stakeholders leaving the building when that was being finalised. A lot of that was down to how that was actually going to be implemented and due to the details around Food Vision 2030.

Fundamentally, it now comes down to industry having a key role. We need industry. We have one of the best food industries, potentially globally. We are world leaders in this. These food vision policies and food systems in general are too important to be overly, not controlled but influenced, in a role by the industry. They are hugely important but we need a wider food systems approach to our next food vision. That needs to take a society-led approach, not just led by private industry or the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, or the Minister or the Government or whatever. There must be an overriding emphasis on that sector of society. A functioning economy serves the needs of the society and works within the environmental limits. We have it the other way round. We need to have the space in the middle, which is society, leading this while being cognisant of our environmental limits with regard to donors economics, and serving the economy's needs. We must have a functioning economy and a functioning agri-industry. We have huge potential there for a wonderful food sector, which to a certain extent we have in being a global leader. On having an overriding influence, Food Vision 2030 mission and goals is perfect but we need to take those missions and goals and look at the implementation more clearly.

More societal influence and support from consumers, as well as the production side, will lead us with a much better policy. That needs to be done urgently because decisions are being made on the next round of the Common Agricultural Policy, post-2027, and how that is going to emerge in 2025 and 2026. We need to have a whole-of-society conversation on our food vision up to 2050 in the next 24 months to influence what is going to happen in the implementation on the ground in 2028.