Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

On the same issue of food supply and food demand, one of the largest companies in the country is Coca-Cola, based in Ballina, which buys in all its caramelised sugar product from France. None of it is manufactured in this country. There must be a joined-up approach, under the leadership of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and including Enterprise Ireland and all the relevant State agencies, with a view to establishing a research and development facility within the State which would support farm organisations, producers and those who may wish to establish food industries from incubation right through the product development chain.

There is great potential in this area. One of the largest companies in the south west is seeking to purchasing a plant worth €200 million in the United States so that it can import a particular raw material. We must examine how some of these raw materials can be produced in Ireland. For instance, there is no reason that we should be importing casings for the sausage meat industry. There are immense opportunities to be exploited but it requires a joined-up approach and a research and development facility focused specifically on the food sector in order to ensure we can cater for consumers' needs from what is produced in Ireland.

In the case of the fishing industry, 220,000 tonnes of fish are landed into Ireland, but 68% of that is exported. It gives an example of where we are.