Eamon Scanlon (Fianna Fail)

I second the motion.

Senators will be aware that the Irish economy is heavily reliant on our indigenous food industry. That our food industry is dependent on markets abroad is even more startlingly evident. We are self-sufficient in all of the major commodities. For example, we are over 1,000% self-sufficient in beef and almost 1,000% in butter. We must be able to market our produce abroad, particularly into an enlarged Europe, if we are to have sustainable agriculture on this island. This is a real challenge that cannot be met by the Government alone but must be confronted by all sectors of the agriculture industry at every level.

For its part, the Government has put in place a comprehensive strategy for the development of agriculture and the food industry over the coming decade. The core aim of this strategy is to ensure that the industry contributes, to the maximum extent possible, to continued economic and social development for our people, especially the farmers – our primary producers. The Government's aim is to assist the industry in its efforts to improve competitiveness and innovative capability and enable it to compete successfully in an increasingly competitive and fast-moving environment.