Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Alongside the tremendous work that goes on at the Tops facility in Raphoe, my Department also provides funding to the Teagasc potato breeding programme at Oak Park and to growers for specialist equipment under the TAMS investment scheme.

As a further support to the seed potato industry, my Department is currently examining a capital investment scheme for seed potatoes to facilitate the development of the domestic seed potato production sector and capacity. There are state aid considerations in the development of such a scheme, and approval is also required from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, but my Department is engaged in this process.I and the Department will, in all of the ways we can, work with the sector to support it in restoring what used to be a tremendous domestic seed production sector. The sector has diminished somewhat in recent years, but we have the necessary natural resources, advantages, land and climate to do that. It is important that this is industry led, and that those who need to purchase seed for growing ware potato engage with growers that are willing to grow more seed potato and provide certainty to them that if they produce a quality seed potato product that they will be purchased. That is within our grasp and that of the industry, and I will work closely with industry. I will meet the IFA potato committee in the next number of days, following the meetings I had with it last year to try to further advocate that we grasp this potential. Alongside that, I will continue to advocate at European level for free movement. We have to grasp this opportunity for the restoration of the domestic sector.