Michael McCarthy (Labour)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Connick, for this debate on the important report, Food Harvest 2020. Unless action backed by serious political conviction is taken on its recommendations, it will remain on the shelf like all those reports on Seanad reform.

The single largest scourge in our society during these difficult economic times is unemployment. We have debated the issue at length in the House with many good suggestions on tackling it. I have consistently raised the employment creation opportunities in the marine sector which comes under the Minister of State's remit. Providing incentives at policy level is a revenue-neutral way of creating sustainable jobs in the rural economy. For every one person employed in the fishing industry, it in turn results in 1.5 more jobs in the community. The fishing industry sustained our coastal communities and country in the past. It can be used again to create sustainable jobs.

At this afternoon's meeting with the IFA at the Davenport Hotel, the serious issues facing the agriculture sector were spelled out. With strong political action, the concerns of those in the sector can be allayed and it can be allowed to reach its maximum potential.

The food harvest report states Ireland can become synonymous with sustainable and welfare friendly products giving higher value to consumers. The Bord Iascaigh Mhara facility in Clonakilty has a seafood development section. By providing technological resources and scientific advice to fishermen and the fish processing industry, Ireland can produce an excellent high end value fish product. We have seen how creating a top brand can assist in developing international exports like what Nokia did for Finland and Abba for Sweden. Ireland can do the same delivering a top-class seafood product brand which will provide sustainable jobs in rural and coastal communities.

By 2025 the world's population will have reached a staggering 8 billion with food becoming an even more important commodity. Ireland has the natural resources and expertise in agrifood and aquaculture to step up to the mark to become a leading international food provider.

The food harvest report foresees Irish companies increasingly recognising that sharing resources through strategic initiatives will be central to knowledge generation, pursuing consumer and market trends and making the best use of human capital. Consolidation, collaboration and competition, the three Cs, will be central to this approach. Liquidity and access to suitable credit lines will be absolutely important for sustaining agrifood industries. The banking system in the country at present would have been unimaginable some years ago. The banks are receiving massive bailouts and State supports. However, at local level no one, including small and medium enterprises and small, family run businesses, is getting the essential ingredient to stay alive in business, that is, access to credit. I have stated in the House time and again in the context of the current budgetary discussions that if we leave the banking sector to its own devices it will never do anything that is not legally required of it. Given the amount of help received and the extent to which the country has bailed out banks and propped up the banking sector, not least in the case of Anglo Irish Bank, which will be a millstone around the necks of people for generations, the least we should expect is some quid pro quo.

Lines of credit should be opened to small and medium sized businesses. The days of attracting vast jobs to rural areas are long gone. Let us consider family run enterprises. I am lucky to be from west Cork. I recall being in London some years ago. Let us consider Carberry milk products. I remember visiting a store near Harlesden, London and seeing Dubliner Irish Cheese and Clonakilty Irish Yogurt in the dairy cabinet. These products were produced by the Carberry milk products plant in Balineen, seven miles from where I live. Clonakilty Irish Yoghurt, a strong brand, is produced 14 miles from where I live. Nevertheless, many years ago in London a store sold these products because we had the expertise in food science and the entrepreneurs, who drove those products. These people set very high standards, created jobs and contributed to the economy all along the line, not least in terms of exports, one of the few beacons for the country at present. Our exports are in good shape. We should be proud of this and expand on it. Like little acorns, we must start from something small and begin to provide credit to businesses which need access to markets and finance to stay in business.

The Irish agri-food and fisheries industries' continued ability to compete on the home and export markets is critical to their viability up to 2020 and beyond. Issues arise related to costs and professional fees which must be examined as well. We should examine what inhibits the growth of business at present. Many businesses have gone to the wall. The organisations representing the relevant people and public representatives are fully aware of the issues, which have been communicated to us from people involved at the coalface. We must turn that knowledge into a metal that informs our thinking and how we proceed.