Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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278. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current status of the beef forum; when the forum will be at its full implementation level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14438/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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At February’s Roundtable meeting, there was a consensus that good progress was being made in delivering on the outcomes agreed at previous meetings, accompanied by a strong commitment from all participants to continue this work. The nature of the Roundtable process means that the outcomes agreed must be delivered by participants on an ongoing basis and much remains to be done to ensure continued delivery of results. This work will continue.

The Roundtable allows participants to engage in a positive way on strategic goals for the sector. For example, the most recent meeting of the Roundtable resulted in the establishment of a stakeholder group, led by Teagasc, which was tasked with preparing written guidelines for beef farmers which would act as a blueprint for those currently producing bull beef or considering developing bull beef production systems, taking into account production efficiency and market dynamics.

The focus of the next meeting will be on Producer Organisations. General agreement exists among all stakeholders that Producer Organisations have the potential to make an enormously positive contribution to the business model of beef production in Ireland, for both farmers and processors. My Department is currently engaged in consultations to inform the debate on the optimum model for Ireland’s beef industry.

The Roundtable exists to facilitate discussion on the strategic development of the beef sector on an ongoing basis. We have seen the benefits that the forum can bring and the Roundtable forum will continue to deliver on an ongoing basis, with the positive co-operation from all of the stakeholders.