Ms Elaine Houlihan:

I thank the Chairman and members for the invitation to speak on the topic of challenges facing the fruit and vegetable industry in Ireland. I am president of Macra na Feirme. I am joined by Dr. Liam Hanrahan, chairperson of our agricultural affairs committee and Dr. Maria Snell, senior research and policy executive at Macra na Feirme.

Horticulture is a very important sector for society, economics, and the environment. Its importance stems from being Ireland's fourth largest sector after dairy, beef and pigs in terms of gross agricultural commodity output, with an estimated value of €477 million at the farm gate. Horticulture has the potential to be a leading sector as regards its green credentials. Horticulture and its preservation and expansion presents an opportunity to positively target carbon emissions and enhance sustainability of food systems.

The sustainability of Irish food chains, in which our primary producers play a vital role, is crucial in the wider policy context, with our Government and the EU setting ambitious targets in this regard. Food Vision 2030 sets out bold targets for Ireland to become a world leader in sustainable food systems delivering benefits for the sector, society and the environment. Food waste is recognised as being one of the major global challenges in achieving a sustainable future. For example, the Government has committed to reducing food waste by 50% by 2030, in line with the UN sustainable development goals. Food waste and loss can occur at each stage of the food supply chain, including primary production, processing, retail and consumption. Commonly, food loss refers to those losses at the early stages of the food supply chain in production and processing. The term food waste, however, applies to the later stages of the food supply chain associated with retail and final consumption in respect of which behavioural change is key. Our focus will be on food loss from the farmer's perspective, and key considerations in this regard.

In Ireland to date, farmers do not routinely record waste and have difficulty in providing estimates of food waste and losses. According to the 2022 EPA report, Food Loss and Waste from Farming, Fishing and Aquaculture in Ireland, in 2021 an estimated 53,000 tonnes of food waste was generated at the primary production stage in Ireland. This represents 7% of the total waste generated, of which horticulture accounted for the largest proportion. An EPA-funded report in 2019, Reducing Commercial Food Waste in Ireland, stated that vegetables are the most wasted food type in supermarkets at 20%, followed by fruit at 16%, bread at 15% and meat at 11%. By comparison, the retail and distribution sector accounted for approximately 75,000 tonnes of food waste in 2021. This includes food waste from supermarkets and smaller grocery shops, service stations and general retail, as well as food waste generated by food and beverage wholesale companies.

Food waste is one of the many challenges facing our fruit and vegetable sector. However, we also need to bear in mind the other challenges it faces, such as labour shortages and costs, climate change and weather forecasts, access to land and to finance, and diversification opportunities when organic farming. Food waste is a problem with economic, environmental and social implications, making it both important and complex. Prevention of food waste and loss should be a priority. This requires primary producers, together with actors further along the food chain, to work more closely together in order that costs can be more equitably shared across the supply chain. This is important to promote increased fairness in price for primary producers and allow for greater transparency in our food supply chain. If a fair price is not urgently sought, which acknowledges the risks from weather and inflationary costs, then the business viability of this sector is under serious threat. This will have serious consequences for all as we need our primary producers to ensure we have the food required to nourish our growing population. We face global food security challenges and, therefore, we need a thriving local fruit and vegetable sector. We must now all play our part to ensure the sustainability of our food supply chain into the future.