The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine will meet with representative of the United Nations (UN) World Food Programme today (Thursday, August 24).
According to committee chairperson Jackie Cahill, the meeting will be an opportunity to highlight Ireland’s role in providing food for a growing world population.
Cahill and his fellow committee members will meet with the executive director of the World Food Programme Cindy McCain, wife of late US politician and presidential candidate John McCain.
The Oireachtas committee meeting will include other UN officials, as well as officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
McCain will also meet with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue.
Speaking ahead of today’s committee meeting, Cahill said: “I am looking forward to meeting with Ms. McCain and her officials in the UN World Food Programme and discussing the importance of Ireland’s role in producing food to feed the world’s growing population.
“Food security is back on the agenda since the illegal and brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine. People right across Europe are again asking where our food is going to come from to feed our people. It is something that we can never take for granted.”
According to the UN, there are around 345 million people globally who are “acutely” food-insecure. An estimated 40 million people are “severely” food insecure and are in danger of famine.
Some 45 million children under the age of five are currently estimated to have “acute malnutrition”.
Cahill said: “While the environmentalists’ agenda is steadfastly focussed on curbing and reducing food production here in Ireland, they pay little or no attention to how this will impact on our ability to feed the world’s growing population.
“Agriculture is key to the Irish economy primarily because of the value of our food exports. But it is the quantity and quality of our food that we export that makes us so vital as a country in providing nutritious, sustainable and life-saving food that our world needs to survive,” Cahill added.
“Ireland is one of the most sustainable producers of beef and dairy on the planet and this needs to be recognised, not just because of the importance that agriculture plays in the rural economy, but also because of the significant role our farmers play in feeding the world’s population.
“I look forward to a positive and informative engagement tomorrow with the UN World Food Programme officials on the issue for food security for the most vulnerable on our planet,” the agriculture committee chairperson said.
Cahill’s Oireachtas colleague, Senator Victor Boyhan also welcomed the meeting with McCain, referring to her as “a distinguished humanitarian, business leader and diplomat”.
Boyhan commented: “The UN World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability, and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the consequences of climate change.
“The disruption in imports, production and the related surge in food prices as a result of the Russian and Ukraine conflict have impacted on the food security situation.
Boyhan added: “The Irish people through government have committed significant financial resources to support the UN World Food Programme, and hopefully that commitment can be extended.”