Vol. 564 No. 3
12 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his plans to meet dairy co-operatives and processors to discuss the recommendations of a report (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8834/03]
35 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his plans to assist in the imple mentation of the recently published report on the dairy industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9065/03]
40 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his plans to assist in the restructuring of the dairy industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9079/03]
48 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his views on the future of the dairy industry and recommendations that dairy processing companies should amalgamate to remain viable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8833/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 12, 35, 40 and 48 together.
Some months ago, in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland and the dairy industry itself, I commissioned a strategic study of the industry. The objective of the study was to examine the existing structure of the Irish dairy processing sector; identify market opportunities for dairy products; assess product options to exploit those opportunities and make recommendations on actions to improve the efficiency and long-term competitiveness of the industry.
The study was undertaken by Prospectus and Promar International and the report was presented on 19 March. The report is a very extensive, thorough and useful piece of work which fully addresses the terms of reference set out for the consultants.
It concludes that the future success and long-term survival of the sector is critically dependent on its ability to transform itself and deliver on the key strategies. The recommendations cover a range of areas and are designed to point the way to improve the international competitiveness, scale and cost efficiency of the industry and to increase the proportion of output away from commodity type products and into higher value added products.
The commissioning and carrying out of a study is, of course, only an initial step. What is important is that appropriate action is taken to address the findings which I believe have been positively received. While much of the action to be taken will be for the industry itself, I and my Department will do whatever is necessary to assist in driving forward the recommendations of the report. As part of this, I have already met with Enterprise Ireland and will hold a series of meetings with co-operatives and with processors with a view to identifying the best way of achieving the objectives set out in the report.
