Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Question 497: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has any initiative planned to tackle import substitution for food products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13995/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Food products trade freely within the Single Market of the European Union and import substitution measures are not permitted under EU law. Over 80% of Irish agricultural production is exported. The Single Market arrangement ensures access to our most important markets within the EU and contributed to the 25% increase in the value of exports achieved in the past two years. This is an important step towards achieving the ambitious growth targets in the Food Harvest 2020 Report.