Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 June 2012
778 Deputy Patrick O’Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount allocated by his Department and-or An Bord Bia for the purposes of television gardening shows; if he is satisfied that the programmes concerned emphasise the skill of planting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27388/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra780 Deputy Patrick O’Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount his Department and An Bord Bia allocated to an exhibition (detail supplied); the proportion of that allocation has been spent with Irish suppliers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27392/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra781 Deputy Patrick O’Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that the interests of the Irish horticulture industry are properly represented in An Bord Bia; his plans for a branding label for plants that are grown here and support Irish jobs as part of an initiative to support the industry similar to the Love Irish Food; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27393/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 778, 780 and 781 together.
The Bord Bia horticulture activities and programmes, which are developed in co-operation with the horticulture sector, are essentially matters for Bord Bia and the sector and I would refer the Deputy to Bord Bia in relation to operational details.
The impact of some of this activity was on display last weekend when nearly 80,000 people attended the Bord Bia 2012 Bloom Show, which showcased the benefits of gardening and the horticulture and food sectors. The cost of Bloom is around €3 million of which Bord Bia contributes €450,000 and the balance is borne by stakeholders, ticket sales etc. Bloom is a major promotional vehicle for the horticulture sector that delivers significant outcomes including advertising equivalent, direct sales at the event for participants, post event purchases and new product listings. Bord Bia also provides finance to pay for the reconstruction at Bloom of the winning garden on a TV gardening programme.
EU state aid rules do not allow Bord Bia to fund labels on the lines of private sector initiatives such as Love Irish Food, which emphasise origin. The rules allow origin to be shown in a secondary capacity and Bord Bia horticulture Quality Assurance schemes do so.
