Vol. 556 No. 5
104 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the extent to which he has identified a strategic plan for agriculture, with particular reference to the need to ensure the viability of the industry in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20987/02]
I am keenly aware of the situation in the agri-food sector and various developments and changes in the sector. It was with a view to the long-term development of the sector that I formed the Agri-Food 2010 Committee in June 1999. In March 2000 the committee's main report was published. In August 2000 the Agri-Food 2010 report was published in the Agri-Food 2010 plan of action, which set out a range of activities designed to strengthen and improve the ability of the Irish agri-food sector so as to best meet all of these future challenges. The plan of action contained almost 200 specific action points and a commitment to ongoing monitoring which was further enshrined in the Department's Statement of Strategy 2001-2004. I then published the Agri-Food 2010 implementation report in December 2001. This report found that 94% of the action points had either been successfully undertaken or had seen significant work undertaken.
Question No. 105 answered with Question No. 98.
