Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

When we talk about food security it is important to remember that while we do import substantial volume and value of food, we are a very significant exporter of food to over 180 countries. Our exports in 2019 were valued in excess of €14 billion and sustain employment for over 170,000 people. There is a global complexity to the food market to which the Deputy alludes and I accept that consumers are interested in shorter food supply chains but we have certain global advantages in terms of our capacity to produce certain foods and I do not think they are incompatible with each other. Farmers' markets, the organic sector and allotments are all part of the milieu of shorter food supply chains. There is a role for that. The value of the organic sector relative to the value of the agrifood industry is minuscule and not everybody will become organic and not everybody can afford the premium associated with it. There is a role for both. We have a support scheme for the horticultural sector in 2020 in the order of €6 million. It will grow the products that it is commercially viable for it to grow. It is cheaper to import some things and that is the reality of the market place and we cannot force people to engage in enterprises which will not give them an economic return. We do support the horticulture sector.

On the question of the ethics of food production, we have laws in respect of minimum wage for example. All employees are protected by that. It is one of, if not the highest minimum wage levels in the European Union.

That is a fundamental protection for workers. Many employers pay more than that. Many provide accommodation, as well as the minimum wage, or higher, for their employees. I would be concerned if the impression went out that this is an exploitative industry operates without any reference to the legal framework that applies to it. I have no evidence to suggest that, and it would be wrong to create the impression that we are dealing with a sector that is indifferent to ethics or workers rights. Obviously, we operate within the EU in the context of ethics in the broader sense, in terms of animal welfare and so on. An issue which attracts a great deal of concern is that relating to live exports but we have standards here that are higher than the minimum requirements set down by the EU for live exports. We are very conscious of our obligations in that regard and of our customer's concerns in that regard. We operate to EU standards-plus in that area.

In the context of food security, there is no room for complacency. I have often made the point that across the EU there are challenges regarding the age profile in agriculture. We have an ageing workforce across the EU and that is a big challenge. There is a real danger, if we do not attract new blood into the industry, that we could run off a cliff in terms of our food security. Ireland is, as an island nation, one of the most food-secure countries on Earth. It is joint first with Canada but there is no room for complacency. We have an age profile problem in agriculture, as do many countries across the world, not just in the EU. Nothing can be taken for granted here. In terms of the reform of the CAP, this is one of the areas about which we must be careful. We cannot just seduce young people into a career in agriculture but must also ensure that we can give them security in terms of an income that is comparable to what their peers earn in other sectors.

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