Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

I welcome the initiatives that have led to an increase in horticultural output. This country needs to do much more to develop horticulture as an aspect of the food industry. Much more could be done to replace our imported products by way of new initiatives, especially on fruit and vegetables. I accept that we cannot grow bananas here, but there are many other fruits and vegetables that could be promoted and developed.

It is important to note that there is still a problem in this country with food poverty. While there are social and financial aspects to it, there is also an issue about the availability of quality, nutritious foods to those people most at risk. The Department of Agriculture and Food should be looking at new initiatives, such as farmers' markets, to make nutritious foods more available to disadvantaged communities.

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