David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 37: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the measures she is taking to promote the use of higher quality foods; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17393/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The priority for the Irish food industry must be the development of innovative high quality food products meeting the highest standards of traceability and food safety. The industry's traditional reliance on commodity exports has reduced in the past decade as a prepared consumer foods industry has been developed with EU and national assistance.

The National Development Plan 2000-2006 includes initiatives for marketing as well as both public good and commercial food research. These initiatives have facilitated the Irish food industry in developing new capabilities and improving access to new technologies. Progress under the national development plan is satisfactory, with commitments of €174 million undertaken between 2000 and 2004. Companies have invested in new products and new market outlets, for example, recent listings with continental buyers for high value meat products.

The decoupling of direct payments from production will, I believe, further shift the emphasis away from quantity to quality production. The overriding principle in Irish food production must be that only food produced meeting consumer demands for the highest standards of food safety and quality is placed on the market. My Department works closely with other Government agencies to ensure that the highest possible national and EU standards of food safety and quality are in operation at the primary production and food processing stages. Both industry and public bodies have made a huge investment in these areas and our systems of traceability are very effective.

Bord Bia, which has statutory responsibility for promotion of Irish food produce, currently operates quality assurance schemes in the beef, pigmeat, horticulture, poultry and egg sectors. These schemes complement other national initiatives and controls and demonstrate producer compliance with customer quality requirements and legislative safety provisions. They operate in an integrated fashion along the production chain, thereby providing controls from farm to table. Products produced under the higher standard requirements of these schemes can be marketed at home and abroad under the board's quality assurance mark.

In co-operation with Bord Bia and the European Commission, my Department has also funded information and promotion campaigns in the milk, beef, eggs and mushrooms sectors to encourage consumption and to draw attention to the quality and nutritional value of these products. My Department will continue to play a lead role in assisting the food industry meet the challenges and increasingly exacting demands of consumer markets and so maximise returns to the industry and the economy in general.