Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to highlight a report by Bord Bia, entitled Export Performance and Prospects 2024-2025. I am sure everyone here knows of the amazing work that Bord Bia does. This report is quite interesting because it highlights there is €17 billion of business exports. It is an amazing success story and organisation that is highly focused on food and horticultural production. There are challenges around alcohol that is exported. There will be serious challenges relating to potential tariffs if they are not sorted out. This is an amazing organisation that is the engine in marketing and innovation for agriculture, horticulture, food production and beverages, which is another important facet of its work. Senators will be aware that it will be showcasing its organisation at its now infamous Bloom festival, which is in the next few weeks. It is being well promoted. I hope as many people as possible can go. The leaders of the main political parties go every year, spend the day there and bring teams with them.

That is important in highlighting this unique enterprise that is Ireland. We have the green island of Ireland. We are an island. I refer to the challenges, excitement and possibilities of an all-Ireland approach in terms of what the Taoiseach talks about and the shared island initiative. We can collaborate more across the island of Ireland. Let us forget about the political issues. The potential for the natural resources, production and enterprise of this sector is enormous. I call for a debate on it. It is important we have a debate on this field. The Minister of State, Deputy Noel Grealish, is responsible for this area. We should invite him because we need to see the plans but also prepare for the challenges and seek diversification. I do not know whether anyone heard “Morning Ireland” on RTÉ Radio reporting on the challenges around diversification to Asia and the Arab states in terms of our food markets. We need new markets and to put in place policies that will support them.