Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 49: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make direct financial supports available to farmers markets here to encourage their growth by way of marketing and advertising initiatives. [27069/07]

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Support for the development of farmers' markets is included under the village renewal and development measure in Axis 3 of Rural Development Programme, Ireland, 2007-2013, which programme is operated by the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív. The aim of this measure is to provide appropriate small-scale infrastructure to enhance the economic and social attractiveness of villages, small towns and the surrounding countryside. The development of farmers' markets has received support across the country from the local action groups delivering the Leader programmes for 2000 to 2006 and is provided for under the new programme. The selection process for the local action groups to deliver the Leader-type measures under the new programme will commence shortly. I understand that funding to networks of producers to market, promote and advertise themselves and their markets at local level is currently provided under the Leader programme.

There are now something like under 130 markets in Ireland today, a number that has grown from a very small base over the past five years. Bord Bia estimates that the farmers' market system has an annual turnover of €28 million and, clearly, there is potential for the system to grow its share of the Irish food market in coming years.

The Government is committed to supporting local and regional food and both Towards 2016 and my Department's Agri-Vision 2015 action plan include measures in this regard. One of our commitments under the programme for Government is the encouragement of more direct selling from farmer to customer by restoring and promoting a national network of farmers' markets. In this context, my ministerial colleagues and I have participated at events such as launches of new markets to champion the scope of this route to market for the overall benefit of our food industry and our local communities.

Bord Bia, which operates under the aegis of my Department, works closely with other State and local agencies to exploit the growing opportunities for farmers' markets, recognising their current and future importance as an opportunity for direct selling by farmers and food entrepreneurs.

Bord Bia has supported and will continue to support these markets through relevant advice and information, which is now available on its new small business website, www.bordbiavantage.ie, and through the development and implementation of nationwide marketing campaigns.

The main vehicle for farmers' market marketing in Ireland this year was Bord Bia's sponsorship of "Fresh from the Farmer's Market", an eight-part television series shown on RTE 1 between April and June 2007. This programme featured markets and producers throughout the country and achieved strong viewer ratings throughout the series. The programme has now been sold to other television networks overseas, including the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and has been shown on flights inbound from the US. This has helped to showcase the strong and vibrant farmers' market network in Ireland and indeed highlights one of the many wonderful food tourism attractions of Ireland, the food island. In addition, it has assisted in driving consumer traffic into farmers' markets — both domestic traffic and traffic from tourists. Given the positive response to the first series, a second series is currently in production and will be shown in April 2008. Bord Bia is the main sponsor of the show, strengthening this marketing platform.

My Department is also currently surveying every known farmers' market in the country to ascertain and compile a detailed database of statistics. This information will then be used to guide Government policy at both local and national level for farmers' markets going forward. We are also looking at international examples in order to import some strong ideas and structures that will work for the already blossoming farmers' market system in Ireland.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I will allow supplementary questions on this matter.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for his verbose answer and his advertising blurb for RTE. I appreciate the fact that Bord Bia and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs through the Leader programme are doing much to encourage farmers' markets. However, on the ground, many farmers' markets are striving — I will not say they are struggling — to boost their popularity locally. Much of this work is done through voluntary effort. While programmes are in place through Leader to help them, if some sort of direct support was made available to them for advertising through local media, it would be of great assistance to them.

Judging from the Minister of State's answer, he is not telling me that his Department necessarily will be directly responsible for that and I accept this point. I also accept the fact that there is serious potential within this country for the growth of local markets. Will the Minister of State consider the idea of direct finance for marketing and advertising?

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State will give a brief answer.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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I would love to put my hand in my pocket and give money directly but state aid rules must be taken into account and we must be cognisant of this reality. That said, I am conscious of the need to co-operate with, for example, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which has overall responsibility for local government. I am promoting the remit of local government in respect of food. With this in mind, I am working with officials in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government so that we can jointly financially sponsor measures, for example, to ensure that running water and electricity are provided and that sufficiently central locations with parking and other necessary nuts and bolts are in place to give the market every necessary advantage to be successful.

On 13 November 2007, I will attend a local food conference in the Park Hotel in Mullingar, at which Deputy Sherlock might be present. I look forward to seeing him there. I will deal with that issue on the ground.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State is almost a walking billboard.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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In January, I will organise a forum with city and county managers where we can harmonise and bring some consistency to the way in which farmers' markets are organised throughout the country. That is all part of the help which is both practical and legal for me to give.

I will look at other areas, for example, indirect payments such as the organic farming grants, which, again, are of major assistance to people on many of those stalls, and REPS financing. Indirectly, hopefully, we can show that we have the financial as well as political commitment to developing farmers' markets.