Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 74: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of meetings of the Food Agency Co-Operation Council in 2004 and 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12052/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Food Agency Co-operation Council has met on 20 occasions since its inception in 2000. During 2004 and 2005 priority was given instead to meetings of the food development agencies directly concerned with the food programme components of the National Development Plan 2000-2006. Two such meetings took place in 2004 and one in 2005 to assess progress on the plan in preparation for meetings of the NDP monitoring committees.

In recent months, my Department has been examining the role and format of the Food Agency Co-Operation Council and the manner in which the various food agencies can most effectively co-operate to develop the agri-food industry, in the light of the more market orientated CAP framework, the 2015 Agri-Vision report and the enterprise strategy report. Arising from the review, I recently announced plans to establish a high level group of CEOs of food agencies, chaired at ministerial level, to ensure and implement a fully consolidated approach towards the development of the food sector as a whole. The inaugural meeting of this CEOs' group will be held at an early date.

A number of other initiatives are planned at regional level, which will see the various agencies engage and co-operate with my Department to develop the food industry. The first of these initiatives, the North West Food Forum — Market Focus for Small Food Enterprises — took place in Killybegs last November. At the forum, significant time was allocated for the agencies to network with the industry's stakeholders and to showcase the services available to assist food company development in the region. Similar events focused in other regions as well as other initiatives involving inter-agency co-operation to promote the development of the food industry at all levels are being planned for 2006, including the North East Food Forum which will take place on 12 June in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan.