Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Regarding procurement, we need to go beyond just engaging with Departments. Consider the hundreds of millions of euro the State spends on food for hospitals, schools and buildings such as this one, for example. When using public money to purchase food, it would send a strong signal and be a supportive measure for the sector if a portion of that budget were ring-fenced for Irish-produced organic food.

The Minister referred to marketing. Bord Bia will set out what it has done to market Irish-produced organic food, but its budget for that is not ring-fenced either, so how can the Minister or any of us be confident we are marketing and selling this fantastic product appropriately? Irish-produced organic food is probably the best quality food in the world. How are we ensuring there is always a market for it and that, when our food is going into that market, it is securing a premium price?

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