Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will add a couple of points. I recently opened the small business forum, particularly for the horticulture sector. as there are a couple of problems that we face. Retailers have tended to want their own quality brand for their own product as distinct from having a universal brand across products. The test will be whether the Bord Bia quality assurance mark transcends all products such that the consumer can see an independent accreditation and quality mark. I have been trying to emphasise the importance of indigenous Irish produce. A vox pop was carried out on the scarcity of vegetables normally available at this time of the year from southern European states. Some of the comments made included that we had to concentrate on seasonality and that when vegetables were in season, we should buy Irish and local. Irish produce means Irish jobs, nowhere more so than in the horticulture sector which is one of the more labour intensive in the agriculture industry.