Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Both Deputies are right. Already, about one third of our food and drink exports go to the EU. There is potential for further growth. I witnessed that at first hand when I attended the Anuga Food Fair in Cologne in October. The European team of Bord Bia was there engaging with many companies across the spectrum.

When Deputy Carthy talked about the premiumisation of the market, he was absolutely right. It is the Government policy, as outlined in Food Vision 2030, which refers not only to environmental sustainability but also to economic sustainability for our primary producers. We intend to grow the value of our exports from €14 billion to €21 billion during the lifetime of this plan, not necessarily based on quantity but on quality, premium markets and the objective of getting a higher return for our produce for our primary producers and agrifood businesses. This is interlinked with our approach to the climate and improving sustainability even further. We are aware that we produce some of the best and most sustainable food in the world but we have to do so even better because, in the premium markets, that will be the higher level of ambition that will be expected.

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