Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 4 Nov 1992

Vol. 424 No. 9

Written Answers. - Competitiveness in Irish Agriculture.

Ivan Yates

Ceist:

165 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he has carried out any study of the competitiveness of the various sectors of Irish agriculture, with particular reference to the dairy sector, beef sector, sheep sector, pig and poultry sector and the cereal sector, within the EC and internationally; and, if not, if he will commission such a study.

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

A study entitled "The Competitive Advantage of Irish Agriculture" has recently been published. Its principal author is Dr. Gerry Boyle of Maynooth College. The study was sponsored by Allied Irish Banks and co-ordinated by the Irish Farmers Journal. As part of the co-ordination process, a Steering Committee to oversee the conduct and progress of the study was established. This Committee included two representatives of the Department of Agriculture and Food.

The study examined the competitiveness of the dairy, beef, sheep and cereal sectors. It did not cover the pig and poultry sectors.

I consider that the study is a very useful one and that it provides important baseline data for the study of the competitiveness of Irish agriculture. This data will be used as part of the ongoing general monitoring of the competitiveness of Irish agriculture which my Department pursues.