Deputy Allen gave me notice of his intention to raise the matter of whether the proposed new Bord Bia will be located in Blarney, County Cork, as this would project an appropriate image for such an organisation.
Adjournment Debate. - Location of Food Promotion Agency.
I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for giving me the opportunity to raise this matter. I am voicing the call of the Chamber of Commerce in Cork, the Munster Agricultural Society and all sections of the communty in Cork city and county for the national headquarters and administrative functions of the newly announced Bord Bia to be located adjacent to the north side of Cork city in the Blarney area.
Munster has an irrefutable claim to have Bord Bia located in the province and it makes sense in all respects to have it located in an area of high unemployment, adjacent to the north side of Cork city, where in parts there is up to 75 per cent unemployment. The connotation of the world renowned Blarney label would project a most appropriate green image for a body such as Bord Bia. Munster is the heart of the Irish food and drinks industry, from farm gate to research, production and marketing. The province is also home to a major indigenous fishing industry.
Cork city, as the regional capital, has all the necessary attributes to service and capitalise on the natural advantages and manufacturing skills in the food and drinks sector. For example, it has an unrivalled infrastructure, with an international airport, Ireland's only deep water port with free port status, an excellent rail and road system and cost effective access to the European Community and world markets. Cork is also well serviced by excellent telecommunications, medical and domestic services and has an abundant fresh water supply.
Cork and Munster has a wealth of educational and research institutions specifically tailored to the needs of the industry, spearheaded by our university college, the regional technical college, as well as by Teagasc and the FÁS training centre. The National Teagasc Agricultural and Food Development Authority is located nearby at Moor Park, Fermoy, which includes the National Dairy Products Research Centre.
UCC has a rich science and technology skills base and houses the only food science and technology faculty in the Republic. The university in recent years has been highly successful in linking business and food science and technology and has an impressive record at graduate and post-graduate diploma and degree levels in food business, food marketing and research.
Cork Regional Technical College has been a pioneer and leader in tailoring the science subjects to the needs of industry. In the fifties and sixties its predecessor pioneered the only chemical engineering qualification in the Cork area. Since then it has been a pioneer in the environmental protection area.
Cork is also the national centre for brewing and distilling; Beamish and Crawford, Murphy's Brewery as well as Irish Distillers operate their system of production from the Cork area. There is also significant drinks production in the Cork area. As well as all this, Cork has an impressive array of related manufacturing enterprises which support the vibrant agri-business and food and drinks sectors in Munster as well as related drugs, health care, pharmaceutical and electronics industries.
As the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry is aware, Cork is the gourmet centre of Ireland; particularly Kinsale. We estimate in Cork that the principal agri-business companies in the Munster region accunt for a combined turnover in excess of £4 billion every year and employ approximately 20,000 people. Cork city and county, with a population of 410,000 people, is continually improving its quality of life and is an ideal location for the Bord Bia headquarters. Therefore, given that the Cork region epitomises the green natural environment that Ireland must project as a location for the sourcing and production of high quality foods, the case I am making is a strong one.
As a traditional centre of industry and commerce the Cork region has played a major role in the growth and development of the Irish agri-business and, therefore, deserves to be recognised by locating the Bord Bia headquarters in Cork. I ask the Minister this evening to commit himself to this.
The Programme for a Partnership Government 1993-1997 recognised the importance of the food industry and outlines the intention to implement a development programme following consideration of the expert group on the food industry report. As the Deputy knows, the expert group has recently submitted its report. It is a comprehensive and detailed document setting out a wide range of recommendations for the future development of the industry.
One of the recommendations of the group is for the establishment of a single promotion agency for food. The recommendations of the group, including the one I have just referred to, are to be considered by the Government shortly. If the Government decision is in favour of a single agency we will proceed with the necessary arrangements to set it up, which would take some time.
The board of a new agency would of course rightly expect to have a say on the question of location and I can assure the Deputy that there would be arguments in favour of the Cork area. Equally, there would be arguments for other parts of the country also renowned for food production, if such renown were to be the main criterion.
In any decision about the location of a new agency — and the expert group recommended that it be formed as a company — one of the central requirements would be efficiency of operation. If a new agency could not operate more effectively than the existing range of food promotion agencies there would be less justification for change. I believe it is on that basis that the question of location, should it arise, should be looked at. A new agency would be a means to achieve certain objectives which are spelled out in the expert group's report, such as developing leadership, maximising available resources and establishing an overall strategy for food promotion.
I think that the House will agree that these are worthwhile objectives for all sectors of the Irish food industry and for the country as a whole. The important point is that the best way to achieve them should be found and implemented. That is the Government's aim, but we are not yet at the stage where we can talk about the detailed requirements for a new agency. If one is to be set up it is certain that the matter would, in one form or another, come before the House again, giving Deputies an opportunity to express themselves further on the subject.
Deputy Crowley was selected by me to raise a matter on the Adjournment, but the Deputy is not available and notice came too late to select a substitute.
The Dáil adjourned at 9 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 3 June 1993.