Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
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99. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will commit to developing an integrated national food security strategy that strengthens local production, addresses food poverty and ensures that our food system is both environmentally and socially sustainable (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55119/25]

Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
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Farmers are under pressure and families are struggling with food costs. Communities want to see more local produce on shelves. Is it not time we had a new joined-up national plan to make this happen?

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Ongoing geopolitical tensions have meant that food security is increasingly at the forefront of the political agenda both at EU and global level. Ireland is among the most food secure countries in the world. As part of the EU Single Market and the Common Agricultural Policy, Ireland benefits from robust mechanisms that underpin food security across Europe.

There is a series of instruments embedded in the EU policy framework to ensure food security. Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems, and EU publication, sets out actions in the areas of security, stability and sustainability. The EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council of Ministers, of which I am a member, will continue to focus on these core areas. This includes supporting the work of the European food security crisis preparedness and response mechanism, EFSCM, which monitors and responds to threats to EU food security and supply.

Ireland already has an integrated national framework for food systems sustainability. Food Vision 2030 was developed adopting a food systems approach with an ambition for Ireland to be a world leader in sustainable food systems and sets out four high-level interlinked missions for the sector to work towards. Each of these interlinked missions has ambitious goals rooted in a strongly practical approach to what needs to be achieved for future environmental, economic and social sustainability. To achieve these ambitions, we continue to support farmers through the €9.8 billion CAP strategic plan, which helps fund the transition to more sustainable practices while maintaining farm incomes. Environmental measures include the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, increased funding for organic farming and the suckler carbon efficiency programme, SCEP, which is helping farmers to improve carbon efficiency in livestock production.

My Department participated alongside other Departments in the food poverty working group and developed the 2024 action plan on food poverty, a cross-sectoral response to that issue. Ireland’s food security is underpinned by strong national and EU frameworks, continuous policy integration under Food Vision 2030 and targeted actions to strengthen local production, reduce food poverty and build a sustainable and resilient food system.

Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
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The recent Irish Country Living feature on Talamh Beo's Gorse Farm and Hinterland highlights what food security should mean in Ireland, namely farmers and communities working together to grow healthy, local food and keeping value in the local economy. These groups are doing that with little or no Government support. They call for exactly what is missing, which is a joined-up national food security strategy that supports local production, tackles food poverty and builds resilience within the system. We cannot keep relying on imported food or cheap prices that come at a high social and environmental cost. Will the Minister commit to backing these communities and ensuring that food policy in Ireland starts putting people and the planet first?

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I meet individuals from Talamh Beo at different events. It has a role to play. We need to get a handle on why Ireland is one of the most food secure nations in the world according to key metrics. It is not because we produce every bit of food that is consumed on the island; it is because of the highly integrated nature of our food supply system around the world. It means from an environmental perspective, food should be produced where it can be produced most efficiently.

If we look at our livestock system, we can see that our beef, sheep and dairy produce are part of a pasture-based system. It is a much better system for that produce to be raised with our livestock animals like cows and sheep out on grass for the vast majority of the year, looking at the sky, eating green grass and not in a shed or an intensive system. We produce it more efficiently here. We export 90% of the food and drink we produce. That is of a highly integrated nature. The high-protein, nutrient-dense rich food is of great value and feeds millions of our population.