Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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Question 48: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the contribution that he believes the recent Bord Bia food and drink summit can make to the forthcoming 2020 strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21849/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Bord Bia hosted the recent Food and Drink Summit – "Building Ireland's largest indigenous industry" – at Farmleigh House on Thursday, 6th May. The summit marked the culmination of a process whereby Bord Bia, in co-operation with Harvard Business School, had engaged with the leaders of the Irish food and drink industry to develop proposals to inform the 2020 agri-food sector strategy process. Harvard conducted a series of one-to-one interviews with 16 of the leading figures in the food and drink sector and collected responses from a further 29 chief executives throughout the industry via questionnaire. Access was also provided to relevant reports and studies relating to the sector and to the wider economy. The findings were presented at the Food and Drink Summit.

As the deputy will know, Harvard Business School identified three broad themes for further consideration. Firstly, they highlighted a need for greater co-operation within the Irish food and drink industry given our small size relative to the global food market. This involves collaboration between companies in the supply chain, and between supply chains themselves in areas such as tourism, pharmaceuticals and health. Secondly, a culture of innovation based on new science and new ways to solve customer needs will be a fundamental part of differentiating Irish product and delivering value to the customer. Thirdly, Harvard emphasised the importance of branding, and establishing a reputation that builds customer loyalty and commands a price premium.

Building further on these three themes, the creation of an umbrella brand for Irish food and drink was central to the Harvard proposal, bringing together as it does the key aspects of collaboration, innovation and branding. While the exact configuration of such a brand would need to be based on further market analysis, it would undoubtedly be linked to Ireland's reputation for green and sustainable production, and would need to be underpinned by a strong science base.

I know that Bord Bia is already pursuing the various proposals presented at the summit. Amongst other things, Bord Bia has undertaken to develop an inventory of relevant collaborative activity at home and abroad to guide companies on best practice in this area. The work of Bord Bia in the area of sustainability and its linkage with existing quality assurance schemes will also be advanced. Furthermore, Bord Bia will support innovation and dynamism in the industry by enhancing the human capital available to it through the Marketing Fellowship Programme.

However, the extent to which the Harvard proposals are brought to fruition will depend on the appetite of industry for their implementation and I expect this will be reflected by the recommendations in the 2020 Agri-food Strategy. The Committee charged with developing this strategy, most of whom attended the summit, have indicated their support for many aspects of the Harvard proposals. Indeed, I am told that the need for greater co-ordination along the supply chain, an emphasis on innovation, and the importance of Ireland's reputation for environmentally sustainable production have been central to much of the Committee's deliberations over the last number of months. As such, I believe the Harvard proposals will form an important strand of the 2020 Strategy.