James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps that he is taking to promote farmers’ markets, in each rural town; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49018/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Promotion of farmers markets is primarily a matter for local authorities to whom responsibility for the granting of casual trading licences in public places is provided for under the Casual Trading Act, 1995.

In order to promote awareness of the market opportunities that farmers markets can offer to small producers my Department and Bord Bia drafted a voluntary Code of Good Practice for Farmers’ Markets, which was launched in June 2009. Some 36 markets are currently entitled to display the Good Practice Banner and they are identified by the symbol on the listing of farmers’ markets on Bord Bia’s website (). The criteria for the Good Practice Code are set out on my Department’s website: and on the Bord Bia website, which also includes a useful Guide to selling through Farmers Markets, Farm Shops and Box Schemes in Ireland.