Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I can understand why the Deputy would like to recognise the work of my predecessor, and I would like to do that too. Food Harvest 2020 was put in place during the lifetime of the previous Government. It was one of the really good things that was done during that period. I would like to think that we are implementing that document in a really ambitious way. In fact, we have upgraded some of the targets. For example, we have doubled the beef target from a 20% increase in the value of beef exports by 2020 to a 40% increase due to the increase in the commodity prices of beef.

The Deputy is right. After 2015, we will be operating in an open dairy market. We will have to find a buyer and a home for all of our increased production in volume terms, apart from in the specialist artisan foods areas where we target the home market. Many of those new markets for our product need to be in the new exciting markets we are currently exploring. I am going to China next month, the following month I will go to the United States and I will probably be in Russia in the autumn. Representatives of some 50 to 60 food companies will go to China with me next month.

The beauty of the Food Harvest approach is that whether one is a farmer, a processor, a co-operative or a seller of food abroad in the food sector or one is an academic or a civil servant, everybody operates to the business plan and to the same timeframe. Part of that business plan is to build a strong brand and reputation for Irish food that will result in our being able to increase our market share, particularly the premium market share where we can get more value for our food in the new markets that are emerging.

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