Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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162. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the proposal to establish a poultry council has been progressed; if Exchequer or EU funding will be provided towards the work of the council or if any other initiatives are planned to assist the further development of the poultry sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48701/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My officials and I have had a number of meetings with the IFA Poultry Committee, and a Poultry Council was one of a several matters discussed. I agree that a collaborative approach between farmers and processors, where possible and appropriate, is likely to serve the best interests of the poultry sector. Of course, such an initiative would require consensus among the main players on the objectives from the outset.

As an initial step, I invited a group representing the poultry sector to the Food Harvest 2020 High Level Implementation Committee, which I chair. I acknowledge the work undertaken by stakeholders to establish a Poultry Council. The new Rural Development Programme is being developed in my Department, and a number of initiatives from a range of sectors are being considered at present.