Climate and other extreme weather events create food security risks, not only for Ireland, but all EU producers.

This was according to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, in response to a question posed by Deputy Robert O'Donoghue during a Dáil Éireann debate on food security.

Deputy O'Donoghue asked Minister Heydon whether the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) had assessed the exposure of supply chains to climate-change risks.

Such risks would include drought, flooding, extreme heat, water scarcity and changing growing conditions, he said.

Critical mechanism

Minister Heydon explained that the EU Single Market and Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) were “the critical mechanisms for ensuring food security throughout the EU and Ireland.

“When the EU single market, which has been a resilient and dependable source of food, is considered, Ireland's sufficiency estimates are much higher than would be indicated by domestic self-sufficiency ratios alone, in particular in vegetables as well as cereals,” he said.

Minister Heydon further stressed that Ireland’s approach to delivering sustainable agriculture and food was set out in its stakeholder-led strategy, Food Vision 2030.

“My Department is currently undertaking a mid-term review of Food Vision 2030, and food security will be among the issues to be considered."

Minister Heydon said that while "Ireland has a comparative advantage in grass-based livestock production, and this will remain at the core of our agri-food output," there were advantages in working towards a more diversified sector.

To facilitate the ongoing development of domestic horticulture, a road map for development of the sector has been agreed with all stakeholders, in the form of the stakeholder-led National Strategy for Horticulture 2023-2027.

Financial aid

"Notably, my department administers the scheme of EU aid for producer organisations, which last year paid out €8.7 million in aid to five producer organisations.

"My department also administers further financial supports via the NDP Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector and NDP Scheme of Investment Aid for Innovation & Diversification in Horticulture (Capital Investments)."

He explained that this scheme assisted growers in making important on-farm capital investments "to support their competitiveness and long-term sustainability".

Minister Heydon added that Ireland was not unusual in terms of production and trade specialisation, and said there was limited scope for import substitution for certain products.

This was particularly true of exotic fruits, for example, or sufficient supply of certain commodities to meet year-round consumer demand.

Ireland exported produce to the value €492.5 million in 2025, amounting to 258,392 tonnes, he said.

During the same period, the country imported €1.97 billion worth of produce amounting to 1,19 million tonnes by volume, which resulted in a trade deficit of €1.47 billion and 961,911 tonnes, he said.