Tom Barry (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As a commercial tillage farmer and one who was brought up and raised on a dairy farm, I welcome the opportunity to discuss the vital role that agriculture plays in our economy. One in every eight jobs in the Irish economy is linked to agrifood, with €9 billion in exports in 2011. The agri-sector contributes €11.5 billion in purchases in the domestic economy and a payroll of €1.7 billion, which is the largest of any manufacturing sector in the country and is comparable to the car industry in Germany.

Food Harvest 2020 seeks a 40% increase in our growth targets to reach €12 billion by 2020. Its targets have been a great help to this country and I am glad to say the omission of the tillage sector, which was not represented properly in Food Harvest 2020, will be addressed in the coming weeks with the publication of a bolt-on document which will also show the potential of our tillage sector.

I am glad to see that our colleagues in Fianna Fáil have finally recognised the central role that agriculture plays in the heart of rural Ireland. Under their stewardship, we have seen the single-handed destruction of our productive economy.

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