Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Senator Pippa Hackett):

I accept the Deputy's acknowledgement of the progress that has been made. The council has only met formally once. At the next meeting, the terms of reference will be drawn up and council members will be appointed. I look forward to that and to assessing the progress that is being made.

The Deputy identified some of the findings of the wool feasibility study in the context of making use of wool. The list of those findings includes: brand development for Irish-grown wool; marketing of Irish-grown wool; the development of standards in respect of Irish-grown wool; determining the feasibility of establishing a wool-testing facility on the island of Ireland; and establishing wool hubs. These are still to be teased out. They will be necessary to strengthen this sector.

As the Deputy indicated, we have a history of wool production in Ireland. In light of the current climate, it is past time that we do what we can to support this sector and to see more wool being used. Wool production is sustainable, versatile and low carbon.

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