Mary Wallace (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

I am delighted to have this opportunity to address the House on the amended motion tabled by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on behalf of the Government. This Government has taken a proactive approach to the development of the agrifood sector, in line with its Agri Vision 2015 plan.

The report sets out a vision identifying the delivery of safe, high-quality, nutritious food, produced in a sustainable manner to well-informed consumers in high value markets as the optimum road for the future of the Irish food industry. The 160 actions in the Agri Vision action plan form a coherent strategy and are reinforced by the 2016 partnership agreement and the National Development Plan 2007-2013. The agriculture and food elements alone of the NDP will account for a total public expenditure of €8.7 billion and together they constitute an integrated package that addresses the overall developmental needs of the sector and specific requirements in the areas of competitiveness, consumer-focus and innovation.

The Government has today received EU approval for the suckler welfare scheme. The new, fully Exchequer-funded scheme is an important initiative aimed at improving welfare and quality in the national suckler herd. The suckler herd is the source of our high quality beef, which is vital to the rural economy. Increased welfare standards will add to the high quality reputation of our beef sector.

In developing this scheme the Government will deliver on another key element of the Agri Vision 2015 plan, which identified the beef sector as a vital area for development. The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Coughlan, will adopt a coherent and structured approach to the beef sector, the overall aim of which is to equip it to meet the challenges and to exploit the opportunities available in the coming decade. This measure is part of that process.

A number of important steps have been taken to assist the beef and dairy sectors, including the introduction of a capital investment programme of €50 million to cover investment at processing level. The programme, which will also aid the sheep sector, will assist the industry in improving efficiencies and to better compete on challenging export markets.

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Coughlan, also launched a new dairy processing industry investment package designed to stimulate necessary investment in the sector to ensure the long-term competitiveness of the dairy industry in Ireland. A total of 19 capital investment projects were approved and awarded Government grant assistance of €114 million. This will generate an estimated capital spend of €286 million.

Government support for the agrifood sector is also provided through the promotion of Irish food and drink products at home and abroad. Bord Bia is charged with this function and receives a grant-in-aid for this purpose. In the case of pigmeat, Bord Bia works closely with producers to promote quality assured pork and bacon on the home market and the Minister has asked Bord Bia to intensify this promotion campaign. I am pleased to note that the pre-budget outlook for 2008 provides for a grant-in-aid of €27.505 million, which is more than the record €26.505 million grant-in-aid for 2007, to support Bord Bia in its marketing and promotion activities.

Irish beef is distributed to more retailers in Europe than beef from any other country. This provides us with an ideal platform to develop the higher value and premium segments of the retail and food service market for Irish beef. The current Bord Bia European beef promotion has been instrumental in building the presence and reputation of Irish beef with consumers and trade to support this significant sustained growth. Plans will be finalised with stakeholders on how we can build on the successful repositioning of Irish beef in the European marketplace as the final phase of the three year campaign comes to an end. Securing our position and seeking higher returns from the market remain critical for the future of Irish beef production in the face of formidable competition from low cost producers.

Bord Bia operates quality assurance schemes in the beef, lamb, pigmeat, poultry, eggs and horticultural products sectors. These are fully integrated schemes whereby standards are developed at producer and processor or packer level. Any product approved under the Bord Bia quality assurance scheme qualifies to carry the Bord Bia quality logo which assists in identifying the origin of the product on the supermarket shelf as well as verifying that the product is quality assured.

Irish produce is noted for its high quality and safety and perhaps this is the reason we are debating the issue of labelling. My colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Sargent, will speak in greater detail on this matter, as will the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Gallagher. The reason we are proud to label our produce is its high quality and safety standard.

See this speech in context