Dr. Liam Hanrahan:

I thank the Deputy for his question around food imports. The reality is that it is economically disastrous for growers, young growers in particular. The fruit and vegetable sector is a high-capital investment sector to get into and access to land and to finance are the two key pressures for young farmers. That is getting even more and more pressurised at the minute. As we know, the amount of land being directed into other land use policies is massive. For example, the wetlands and peatlands policy classifications and the forestry classifications all take land out of horticulture and fruit growing possibilities. Plus, we have a tillage target increase of 25% in this country and we can see from this year that tillage is going backwards due to weather and price. Grain is back €100 per tonne. Economically, competing on the world market in fruit and vegetables does not really work. Fairness and transparency are key points for young growers and I obviously welcome the agrifood regulator and the position that was brought in this year. Issues also include the unpredictability of dealings with retailers regarding single-year contracts. If you want to buy your materials in bulk, you can only buy until the end of the year. If your contract finishes you have no guarantee you are going to be even in business the following year.