Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2004
216 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his views on whether the high level group which he has established to re-examine the future strategy for Irish agriculture is deficient both in terms of broader representation from those actively involved in farming and rural life, and in gender balance. [5661/04]
View answerIn setting up this group, I was guided by the context and the environment in which the agri-food sector will be operating in the future. The agriculture and food sectors exist in a rapidly changing and internationalised environment. Farmers rely on a series of routes for their output to reach these customers. Equally, the processing sector, whether co-operatives, private or public companies, the distribution networks, the retail sector and catering sectors are all vital links for the farmers with consumers. In addition and to an increasing extent, agriculture has had to take on board many issues including animal welfare, the environment, biodiversity and the enhancement of the landscape. It is with this degree of complexity in mind that I appointed the group. The membership of the group consists of experts drawn from farming, the food industry, research, academia, the State agencies and the business world. This group has a good balance of representation and will, in my view, provide the agri-food sector with the vision and strategies needed for the future.
