Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 18 October 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. Dermot Callaghan:

It may not be in their interest to do it and it may be more important, perhaps, for another alternative route to market to be considered like box schemes, online orders and so on. There may be different ways to approach that particular situation. Product specifications are set by the supermarkets and there are good reasons for setting specifications at certain levels. There are many reasons product gets outgraded. It is not always because it is wonky, or it just misshapen. There is a conversation to be had around this area.