Public Consultation Process for the Statement of Strategy 2023-2026

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is preparing a new Statement of Strategy covering the period 2023-2026.

The new Strategy will be prepared having regard for the external environment in which we operate and our ability to adapt to changing circumstances such as the implementation of the CAP Strategic Plan, Climate Change, Digitalisation, the ongoing War in Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis, and the impact of Brexit.

Our new Statement of Strategy (SoS) will reflect the Government’s priorities as set out in the Programme for Government (Our Shared Future). The Department continues to manage a programme of change including the CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027, Food Vision 2030, the Climate Action Plan, the National Forestry Programme, Seafood schemes, Report of the Seafood Task Force, Action Plan on Regional Rural Development, and the development of a new Agri-Food Research and Innovation Strategy. In addition, the new SoS will be cognisant of the European Green Deal and its associated strategies such as the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and other overarching policy frameworks including, Our Public Service, the Civil Service Renewal 2030 and the National Digital Strategy.

The Mission of the Department is to lead, enable and regulate the sector in a way that optimises its contribution to social, economic and environmental sustainability.

We would welcome your views most specifically in relation to the following questions:

• How could the Department’s services to the agri-food, forestry and marine sector be further enhanced?

• What forthcoming market and other challenges should the Department prioritise?

• Are there opportunities, new developments, or innovations that the Department should consider when developing the 2023-2026 strategy which would advance the achievement of our mission, vision, and objectives across the agri-food, forestry, and marine sectors?

• What metrics should the Department use to measure our performance and monitor achievement of our strategic goals?

We would be grateful to receive your response on the foregoing questions together with any more general views you may have on the strategic direction of the Department . A copy of the Department’s current Statement of Strategy 2021–2024 can be viewed at Statement of Strategy 2021-2024 (www.gov.ie).

Please submit your views by email to SOSConsult@agriculture.gov.ie by Wednesday, 15th March 2023.

Please note that all submissions received will be available under the Freedom of Information Act and may be published on the Department’s website as part of the Statement of Strategy process.