Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 242: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if Irish agricultural exports are sufficiently competitive on world markets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44305/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Agricultural production in Ireland and the EU must be viewed in the context of a reformed and evolving Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which is placing much more emphasis on market orientation and competitiveness. Following the decoupling of direct payments from production, farmers can now take advantage of the freedom to farm exclusively for the market, allowing them to focus on meeting the requirements of the consumer in a competitive manner.

The primary indication of how competitive Ireland is, in this or any sphere, is how Ireland performs on increasingly competitive EU and world markets. To survive and grow the sector must be highly competitive and innovative. In this regard the indications for Ireland are extremely positive. Agri-food related exports in 2007 totalled over €9 billion, which represents an increase of over 6% on 2006. The agri-food sector creates significant employment, employing approximately 160,000 persons directly. These achievements are possible as Irish food exporters are able to compete on EU and global markets and possess a strong reputation for producing quality products backed by extensive EU approved quality assurance and safety systems.