John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

One thing Deputy Sargent did was to work tirelessly for Ireland's food sector for more than two and a half years. He worked to develop horticulture in his own constituency of Dublin North, the sector's powerhouse, and across the country. He worked on developing the farmers' markets which increased in numbers on his watch by an impressive 25%. Deputy Sargent framed an action plan to deliver an organic target of 5%, as agreed in the programme for Government. This is on target to be achieved in the lifetime of this Government. Areas farmed organically increased by 10% in his first year in office. He also launched a hugely successful scheme to have primary pupils grow vegetables and fruit and he helped secure private sponsorship to keep this scheme alive despite spending cutbacks. It shows the passion and commitment he brought to that office.

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