Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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116. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he continues to be satisfied regarding the competitiveness of Irish food exports on the world food market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19141/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The primary indicator of the competitiveness of this country’s food and beverage exports on world markets is the performance of those exports in recent years. The sector’s exports have performed strongly in the last five years, reaching an estimated €10.45 billion in 2014 and consolidating the sizeable increases seen annually since 2010. These have seen the value of Food & Beverage exports rise by 45% since 2009. The Food Harvest 2020 plan set an ambitious target of 42% growth in such exports by 2020, compared to the baseline, and 27% growth had already been achieved by 2014 (the most recent data available). Nonetheless, I regard it as prudent to continually review the internal and external environment so that we will continue to maximise the opportunities available to this indigenous sector, including in the export sphere. To that end, I have appointed a 2025 Agri-Food Strategy Committee to report back to me by end June with any key recommendations and actions they consider necessary to ensure continued growth both home and abroad.