Produce which is ‘”perfectly saleable” is being rejected by packers and retailers because of “minor blemishes”, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine has heard.
The committee, which has been discussing the challenges facing the fruit and vegetable industry in Ireland, also heard that over the past 10 years the supermarket specifications of all fresh produce has “increased dramatically”.
Representatives from the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) told the Oireachtas committee yesterday evening (Wednesday, October 19) that this is why an “educational campaign is required for both retail buyers and consumers alike” when it comes to produce.
IFA president Tim Cullinan said: “Growers often cite that there is an expectation that potatoes now must resemble the appearance of an eating apple.
“Some facilities are now investing in technology to have a use for this produce which would be otherwise destined for cattle feed.”
Cullinan also told the committee that the horticulture sector in Ireland is facing “multifactorial” challenges and current weather conditions are continuing to hamper the harvest of crops.
According to the IFA, while the government’s latest horticulture support scheme is a welcome development, the exclusion of some growers from the scheme is “hugely disappointing”.
In particular it has warned that the exclusion of white mushroom and Irish grown strawberry producers “needs to be rectified”.
The organisation highlighted that there has been a “mass exodus” of growers in recent years from the mushroom sector.
Cullinan added: “IFA estimates that there are currently less than 100 commercial field vegetable producers left in Ireland.
“On one hand we have the government looking to foster and expand our sustainable horticultural sector, yet, unless changes are made, the reality is that our sector will continue to contract, resulting in the loss of family farms.”
According to the IFA, aside from mushrooms, nearly all horticultural produce is sold into the domestic market but Cullinan also highlighted to the Oireachtas that just five key supermarket groups – Dunnes Stores, SuperValu, Tesco, Aldi and Lidl – dominate the Irish grocery market.
“These retailers have used fresh produce in particular, as marketing tools, to attract consumers into their stores, offering fresh fruit and vegetables at discount prices that very often do not recognise their overall cost of production,” he said.
“Retailers may claim that the cost of special promotions [is] funded by them and while this may be accurate on a short-term basis, the cost of such promotions is built into procurement prices over time.
“The reality is that the price that growers get paid each year has consistently declined up until 2022,” Cullinan warned.
Oireachtas Committee
Meanwhile representatives from Teagasc also warned the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine yesterday that “access to land is a significant issue for field vegetable producers”.
“Depending on the crop, vegetables usually require about four to six years (rotation) before a crop from the same plant family can be grown in that field again.
“Competition for rental land is heating up significantly and growers need suitable land in the right location close to their packing and storing facilities,” Teagasc said.
According to the chair of the Oireachtas committee, Deputy Jackie Cahill, the horticultural sector is the country’s fourth largest sector in agriculture and last year employed 17,000 people in production and supply.
It is estimated that output at the farm gate was worth €529 million.