Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 11 October 2023
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion
Mr. Pat Farrell:
We have a certain amount. In fairness, we must thank the Government in that regard. I saw in the budget yesterday, and there is general cross-party support, for a package of about €14.1 million. Some of it may be existing funding; we do not know the details but it is very welcome that it was kept. Through the producer organisation, as I said, there is up to 80% funding for actions in the environmental area. That is from the EU and it is a step forward to help us to move down the environmental route with EU financial support. As the Deputy said, it is required to make that step or leap. Second, there is the scheme for investment aid in commercial horticulture, fully funded by the national Exchequer, which is 40% funding or even greater for solar panels and so on. They are very welcome. It is easy to use words like "co-ordinated collaboration approach", but we probably need unity through bodies like Enterprise Ireland and Teagasc for a collaborative approach in which likes of Teagasc in the Ashtown Food Research Centre or other areas or universities come up with bespoke technologies. As a company, we do a certain amount of research and development but we do not have a huge area in that, unfortunately. We do not have the finance. The Deputy is right - we need it to be Government-led and more policy-led.
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