The future of the beef sector in the context of Food Wise 2025 will be the key focus for the next meeting of the Joint Committee for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The committee will be meeting with officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine tomorrow (Tuesday, February 19) to discuss the topic.
Food Wise 2025 sets out a 10-year plan for the agri-food sector, underlining the sector’s unique and special position within the Irish economy, and it illustrates the potential which exists for this sector to grow even further.
The committee has particular interest in the opportunities identified by the department, which states that Food Wise 2025 identifies significant growth opportunities across all subsectors of the Irish agri-food industry.
This export growth will be driven chiefly by expansion in dairy, beef, seafood and consumer food and drinks exports.
Ahead of the meeting, committee chair Pat Deering said: “The strengths and weaknesses of the beef sector will be discussed, along with future opportunities.
“It is hoped that that the information provided by the Department of Agriculture in this regard will assist the committee in assessing if the goal of increasing exports to €19 billion per annum is achievable, with a public consultation to follow.”
Deputy Deering added: “The ultimate aims of the report will be to illustrate the viability, or otherwise, of the beef sector in the pursuance of the goal of increasing exports as set out in Food Wise 2025 and to provide recommendations which will assist in strengthening the beef sector as a whole.
“This will be done through a detailed investigation of the information received by the department. “
The meeting will begin at 3:30pm in Committee Room 1, Leinster House.