Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 467: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the geographical concentration of agrifood employment here; the geographical concentration of agrifood employment by sector, for example primary agriculture, processing and ancillary services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28333/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Employment in the agri-food sector accounted for 179,200 jobs, or 8.5% of employment in 2008, according to figures from the CSO's Quarterly National Household Survey. Of this total, 117,100 were employed in primary agriculture, 50,000 in food and beverage production, 7,800 in wood processing, 2,200 in forestry and 2,100 in fishing.

The agri-food sector encompasses a wide range of company types and sizes, from the small independent farmhouse producer to the large food processors. The latest available figures for 2006 show a wide geographical dispersion throughout the country, whereas the Dublin area dominates the overall manufacturing sector. Of the 665 units in the food and drink sector, 44% were located in the Border, Midlands and West (BMW) Region.

These figures underpin the importance of the agri-food sector both in terms of employment and geographical spread.