Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

Yes, it is completed. The group is comprised of representatives of Teagasc and some processors and farmers, especially young farmers, from various parts of the country. I have not seen the report yet but one issue is to ensure we maximise the plant and machinery in place for processing. There must be co-operation among the plants. I have met the various processors, the farm organisations and the Irish Co-Operative Organisation Society. A realisation exists that we have the capacity in this country to increase milk production by 50%. However we must ensure that the relevant facilities are put in place and that we make maximum use of existing plant. There must be co-operation between various processors and I am confident this will take place. However, the first working group of the Food Harvest 2020 process has already completed its work on that issue.

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