Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would much rather have an Irish Cox's Pippin than a Pink Lady, given the taste of the Pink Lady apples we import. Last year, we imported 70,000 tonnes of apples into a country that can probably grow apples better than any other in the world. The story is incredible. We need to get a hold of this business. For several years, I attended Warrenstown, a fantastic horticultural college. I believe other places did horticulture. There was a college in Termonfeckin. I do not know whether there is still horticulture at Kildalton College. We have allowed the wipeout of our horticultural colleges. The argument will be made that what is coming in through the technological universities around the country, be it in the west or south, will suffice. It is not the same because there is not the same focus on horticulture. I want to get the delegates' views on that. Has the rebuilding or expansion of the horticulture industry been damaged by the fact that we allowed virtually all our dedicated horticulture colleges to disappear?