Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020
28. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the work of his Department to develop the bioeconomy for the benefit of farmers and local agri-food business; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33508/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI thank the three Ministers for being here with us and all the staff who are here as well at this unearthly hour. This question is about the development of the bioeconomy. Can I get an update on what efforts the Department is making to develop the bioeconomy? Obviously, there are huge opportunities here for regional development and for farmers, fishermen and foresters as well so I would like an update, please.
I thank Deputy Griffin for the question. The critical role of the bioeconomy in a sustainable global transition has been widely recognised albeit we are in the early stage of its development. The bioeconomy refers to the development of value from biological resources with a particular focus on converting waste streams into valuable products or, perhaps, streams that were previously seen as waste or having no use and realising their real potential and value. The bioeconomy brings significant potential to provide a source of income diversification for farmers, foresters and fishers and to boost regional economic development. I am determined to realise that potential for additional income into our rural communities from the bioeconomy.
The Government has invested significantly in this early development. This follows from the development of a national policy statement, the establishment of a cross-departmental group co-chaired by my Department, financial support through the competitive research and rural development programme, the BiOrbic, Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre and the Irish Bioeconomy Foundation and building coalitions and public-private partnerships for co-investment with leading innovative companies, co-operatives and farmers.
I recently announced an allocation of €8 million research funding committed to support the generation of knowledge in the areas of agriculture, forestry and food, and the bioeconomy. My officials and I are working on the imminent establishment of a bioeconomy forum to provide a voice for a broad range of stakeholders in the bioeconomy sector, including the agri-food industry, primary producers, relevant State bodies and community groups. That will be set up shortly.
We recently ran a successful Bioeconomy Ireland Week to raise awareness of the bioeconomy and its products, and to work with both public and private stakeholder to present ongoing research, innovation, demonstration, primary production, industrial, product and market activities that highlight how the bioeconomy is developing and being structured and mobilised in Ireland. Much work is happening in this area. Farmers and rural developers have a real nose for new opportunities and diversifying. That is what we are seeking to develop here.
I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is clear important work is going on and that is very welcome. I will emphasise the importance of continued investment in the area of research and development. We need to continue that work if we are to give opportunities to residents of parts of the country such as where I come from in south Kerry to have prosperous futures.
As I said, I welcome the ongoing efforts but I wish to bring to the Minister of State's attention an area that has recently been brought to my attention in my constituency. It is, perhaps, something that warrants further investigation and that is the possibility of using wool. We are aware, for example, the Chinese market, in particular, is inaccessible at the moment but we could look at possibilities in the areas of insulation or, perhaps, other uses. I am interested to hear the Minister of State's views and whether he will be able to look into that further.
Absolutely. In many ways, the bioeconomy looks at the opportunities in products we previously saw as only having one direct use or outcome. In my Department and in my area of responsibility for research and development, we seek to use that money we invest in research and development to develop new opportunities in those areas. The bioeconomy is another way of taking one element of an activity we have done in the past and finding more streams in it.
If the Deputy looks at some of the initiatives we have been involved with in the early stages, there is a development of a carbon-neutral demonstration farm in Shinagh dairy farm in County Cork that has found four different values for what was normally growing-grass for dairy cows. There are now four different values to that. There is no reason wool cannot be the same. If the Deputy has specific examples from his constituency in County Kerry he would like me to analyse further with him, I am happy to do so. The bioeconomy, however, is about getting into biorefinery and identifying those additional opportunities to see how we can add value to them.
On the wool front, obviously many of the areas where sheep farming is prominent also tend to be areas without a huge amount of industry. It is not a rule but it is a feature in many areas. Perhaps, we could establish some sort of communication between people involved in the industry in County Kerry and the Minister of State in the near future to explore what the options are and see if this area could be pursued further.
We need to be resourceful and to ensure that every opportunity is pursued fully.
I acknowledge the examples given regarding what is happening in Cork. The relative impact of innovative breakthroughs on small, isolated rural areas cannot be overstated. They may not appear significant in light of the bigger picture but, to the areas concerned, they can be very important.
I completely agree. It is important to address rural prosperity. The bioeconomy affords an opportunity to develop innovative and valuable bio-based products, redistribute incomes and generate jobs and prosperity in rural areas. We have seen examples of this, including the development, through EU funding, of a biorefinery for dairy waste in Lisheen, County Tipperary, and the development of a marine biorefinery in County Monaghan. I mentioned the carbon-neutral demonstration farm in Cork. My Department supports the small-scale grass biorefinery demonstration project in Cork, which makes use of grass in a number of new ways. It is an innovation partnership initiative that is part of the rural development programme.
Agriculture and forestry account for 80% of Irish land use. There are 136,000 family farms and 22,000 private forest owners. The agri-food sector included 1,715 companies at the last count and it employs 173,000 people. That involves a significant social structure, whether it concerns wool or the marine aspects we can explore further to seek to develop additional income for rural areas.
