William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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255. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to set out his Department's current assessment of national food security, including risks to the agricultural supply chain; to outline any forthcoming initiatives to strengthen resilience across farming sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66333/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Ireland is among the most food secure countries in the world and ranks second of 113 countries assessed for food security, according to the most recent Global Food Security Index. Additionally, new food security work featured in Teagasc’s recently released 2024 Sustainability Report finds that Irish farms produce protein sufficient to meet the requirements of over 36 million people, or 30 million people on a net basis.

As the Deputy is aware, Ireland is part of the EU single market and participates in the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), which is the critical key mechanism for ensuring food security throughout Europe. The Government will continue to support farmers as we make payments under Ireland’s €9.8 billion Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan and via specific supports, as required. I will continue to engage actively and constructively in negotiations concerning CAP post-2027 to ensure that the agrifood sector Ireland and Europe continues to benefit from an ambitious, workable and adequately funded CAP that balances economic, social, and environmental sustainability and underpins food security.

Looking at food security coordination in the European Union, the communication "Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems” sets out actions in the three areas of security, stability, and sustainability. The EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council of Ministers, of which I am a member, continues to focus on these core areas and to support the work of the European Food Security Crisis preparedness and response Mechanism (EFSCM). The EFSCM was established in 2021 to monitor and respond to threats to EU food supply and security, including implementation of mitigation measures. My Department, other Member States and private stakeholder organisations continue to collaborate and convene periodically through the EFSCM to ensure adequate preparations for and response to potential threats to global food supply and food security. To date, four reports on the State of Food Security in the EU have been published, and a food supply and security dashboard has been developed to monitor evolving risks to food security and supply