Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

Cuirim fáilte romhat, a Aire. I commend him on the work he has done since his appointment as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. On a personal level, I have been most impressed by his work in regard to fish quotas. His proactivity in that area has been felt very strongly in my constituency in north Dublin and along the east coast. I commend him on the work to date in that regard and wish him the best for the future. I hope there can be agreement on the motion, as the House should not divide on it. My group will be following Senator Feargal Quinn's lead.

With regard to food labelling, there are points to be made on child obesity. We are all aware this is an issue, just as we are aware of the level of food waste. The Harvest 2020 document, produced under the former Minister, Brendan Smith, and enhanced by the Minister, details the importance of the agrifood sector and how it will assist in getting us through these difficult times. There is massive potential. In my area of north Dublin there is a predominance of growers on the horticultural side, some of whom are doing well, others not so well, particularly in the potato sector in which things have been difficult.

With regard to research, there are a couple of areas about which I have specific concerns that are not particularly local but apply at a national level and also fit in with the motion. I ask the Minister to use his good offices to deal with them. One is the operation of Teagasc and how we are investing - or not, as the case may be - in further research on the horticultural side, in particular. The Minister mentioned the dairy and beef industries which are very important, and also grain production. However, on the fresh food side, I have seen many micro-industries set up in recent years. Only last week I was made aware of a beekeeper who had come out of nowhere two years ago and began producing high quality honey in Skerries. This business was set up by an individual with no Government support. There a lot of potential at that level.

There are some areas in which we are now a major producer. If we go back 25 years, we were nowhere in mushroom production and now look where we are. Peppers production is another example. All of these items can be produced under glass. These are areas in which we are successful and can be even more so.

I am concerned about Teagasc's plan to close the only horticultural research centre in the country, which is located in Kinsealy, as the Minister is aware. There is a proposal - I have written to the board of Teagasc about this a number of times - to close the centre and amalgamate it with the one in Ashtown, Dublin 15, which deals predominantly with beef and dairy research. It does not have the required amount of land and a €5 million investment by Teagasc will be required to bring the facilities up to date, even though we already have the facilities required in Kinsealy. In fact, Teagasc which owns more than 2,000 acres of land and has nearly 200 acres in Kinsealy is seeking to rent land in Ashtown. I am not raising this as a constituency issue, as it affects a number of constituencies in Leinster.

There is grave concern that within many of the large agricultural sectors, horticulture seems to play second fiddle. The closure of the only research centre for horticulture would be a backwards step, particularly as Teagasc seems to be proceeding with the closure, despite the fact that it has conducted no cost-benefit analysis, as it has confirmed to me. As part of its figures it proposed to sell the Kinsealy site for €2.64 million; it would not get 15% of that figure now, and even at the time it was unlikely. I know the Minister has no direct operational control over Teagasc. I have written to Professor Gerry Boyle about the matter on a number of occasions and raised it at the Committee of Public Accounts. I have grave concerns about the effect the move will have on the horticulture sector. That area of the country is effectively our bread basket, as 60% of our horticultural produce is produced in it. To move a centre which has done such fantastic work for 20 or 25 years would be a backwards step.

I commend Senators Feargal Quinn and Mary Ann O'Brien for tabling the motion. Many Members have spoken about the issue of food waste and labelling. The Minister has said that if he had his way, we would be producing enough food for 60 million people by 2020. He is hugely ambitious about this and I agree with him. We must consider how we could do this by examining the proportion of what we produce that is being wasted and trying to reduce it. I support the Minister in his efforts in this regard.

I understand there are a couple of elements within the motion that the Minister cannot support on the basis that he does not have control of them. There should be an opportunity for the Government parties and the two Senators who have tabled the motion to come to some agreement. The Minister's engagement with the House so far has been excellent. He has accepted points that were made, for which I commend him. Research is a key element in all sectors, but in the food sector it is absolutely crucial. Closing a horticultural research centre and trying to shoehorn it into a much smaller centre that is shared with those involved in dairy and beef research makes no sense. I ask the Minister to examine the issue.