Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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285. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to immediately review Food Wise 2025 with respect to forecasts outlined within, for example exports, employment and added value in each sector, considering the document was published in July 2015 in advance of the Brexit referendum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34322/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Food Wise 2025, the new ten year strategy for the agri-food sector, was published in July last year. It identifies the opportunities and challenges facing the sector and provides an enabling strategy that will allow the sector to grow and prosper. Food Wise includes more than 400 specific recommendations, spread across the cross-cutting themes of sustainability, innovation, human capital, market development and competitiveness; as well as specific sectoral recommendations. 

The implementation process for any strategy is vital for its success. I chair the Food Wise High Level Implementation Committee (HLIC), with high level representatives from all the relevant Departments and State agencies. The committee reviews progress on detailed actions on a quarterly basis, in order to identify and solve problems quickly. Stakeholders regularly present to the committee meetings on their priorities for particular sectors or themes and by the end of this year, the HLIC will have reviewed in detail progress on the five cross-cutting themes and the twelve individual sectors outlined in Food Wise 2025.

In July this year, I launched the first annual progress report of Food Wise 2025: Steps to Success 2016. Food Wise Steps to Success showed that, of the 330 detailed actions which were due to commence in 2015 or 2016, 28% have been achieved or substantial action has been undertaken; and a further 67% have commenced and are progressing well. I believe that this is a good start and I will press on to get as many actions as possible completed within the next year.

In the light of the UK vote to leave the EU I convened a special meeting of the High Level Implementation Committee to consider the immediate impact of the UK decision. I intend to include this issue as a standard item on the agenda of each future meeting of the HLIC. It is clear that ensuring action is taken on the Food Wise recommendations, particularly those related to market development, competitiveness and innovation, assumes even greater importance in the light of the UK decision. However, I see no compelling reason at this point to review the strategy.