Martin Ferris
Question:375 Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of farmers who are engaged in agribusiness. [25403/08]
View answerTuesday, 1 July 2008
Questions (307, 308)
Written answers
Table 41 of the CSO's Farm Structures Survey 2005 contains data on the number of farmers reporting gainful non-agricultural activity on the farm. In 2005, this figure was 5,900.
Martin Ferris
Question:376 Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of farmers who are engaged in directly selling to consumers through farmers markets. [25404/08]
View answerThe structural form of farmers' markets in Ireland varies between privately owned markets, public markets, co-operatives and the more familiar Country Markets. Discussions have taken place with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment regarding the possible development by an interdepartmental group of statutory guidelines in relation to farmers markets. As a statutory approach would take some considerable time, a small group is being set up to draw up draft ‘best practice' guidelines which would be useful to interested parties and might form the basis for such a standard.
My Department is also currently funding a 3-year research project on examining effective structures for Farmers' Markets in Ireland under the Research Stimulus Fund Programme. The project, which is being undertaken by the Centre for Cooperative Studies and the Department of Food Business and Development, University College Cork, will seek to establish how farmers markets can best be structured to increase the competitiveness and sustainability of small farmers and to enhance product quality. It will examine structures in Ireland and draw on experiences of other countries to recommend ways of improving the effectiveness of farmers' markets in Ireland.