Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

Deputy Upton has raised these issues previously. In the next national development plan, there will be a greater focus on fruit and vegetables and we will take new initiatives in that respect. There is an emerging health agenda that is being addressed by the food industry. Food poverty and the fact that people in disadvantaged homes do not get access to nutritious foods are part of a multidimensional question. There has recently been a growth in the number of farmers' markets and there are now 101 such markets. Bord Bia has been actively promoting the idea of establishing farmers' markets. Over the past few months, there have been four regional food fora in the north east, the midlands, the south east and the north west. In each forum, we invited people involved in the food industry to meet officials from Bord Bia and the other statutory agencies. We have advocated the growth of farmers' markets and quick access to the local consumer. We have given the area our attention, but it does not provide us with the return we would like as quickly as we would like. However, it is being actively pursued at ministerial level and by the officials in the Department and in the statutory agencies. We intend to keep that momentum going.

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