Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 54: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the steps he will take to ensure a 20% increase in beef production over the next ten years, as set out in Harvest 2020. [7695/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Food Harvest 2020 report provides a road map for the long-term development of the Irish agri-food and fishery sectors, including the beef industry, and contains a series of recommendations to realise the vision set out in that document. With regard to the beef industry, Food Harvest 2020 makes a series of recommendations focussed on enhancing farm competitiveness, improving technology uptake and knowledge transfer within enterprises at all levels, ensuring animal production systems optimise productivity while minimising Greenhouse Gas emissions, improving the efficiency of the processing sector, and developing an 'Ireland' brand image to attract a price premium for Ireland's green, natural, grass-fed product. In our programme for Government, we have indicated our support for the overall 2020 strategy and its targets.

In relation to beef, an Activation Group, chaired by Mr. Michael Dowling, a former secretary general of my Department, has been established to progress implementation of the relevant recommendations in consultation with various stakeholders. It is envisaged that the group will complete its work towards the end of May 2011.