Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 5 March 2013

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Retail Sector: Discussion with RGDATA and Retail Ireland

3:30 pm

Mr. John Foy:

With regard to truly local produce, we were asked what more could be done for artisan producers. I suggest we continue the Leader programme, thereby enabling companies to gain more grants. For example, given the unemployment figures, there are people in, say, the Cavan region who are trying to do other things and, as a supermarket, we are trying to support and help. Naturally, as not everyone has the same skills, we can help in providing some of the skills they lack. There should be a continuation of some programme for local artisan producers.