Press release
Minister Hackett commissions major study on Horticulture Industry
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
Minister of State Pippa Hackett today announced that she has commissioned a major report on the Horticulture industry in Ireland. Revealing that she has sought independent experts to identify and analyse opportunities which are emerging for the sector the Minister said:
“This is a vital industry for Ireland and one which I believe offers many opportunities for growth. But we need a road map to chart the way forward, and I want this report to provide us with that.’
The report will assess the current state of the horticulture industry in Ireland across its various sectors (Field crops, Protected crops, Soft fruit, Top fruit, Amenity, Potatoes and Mushrooms). It will analyse each sector in detail, covering a wide range of areas including diversification, climate change, organic and integrated production, labour, routes to market, R&D, promotion, transition to sustainable growing media and knowledge management.
Welcoming the support of the Horticulture Industry Forum, IFA, Teagasc and Bord Bia, for the report, the Minister said:
‘The new Programme for Government, the new EU Farm to Fork and EU Biodiversity strategies, and the recently published AgClimatise Roadmap, all recognise the critical importance of food security, and this report, and the implementation plan that will follow, will allow the horticulture sector to continue to play a central role in maintaining national food security. I don’t underestimate the task. I know there are many areas to be explored but this is really important so I want this report to be delivered by April 2022’.
And finally, making the point that the industry is a very valuable contributor to the Irish economy, the Minister concluded:
“The Horticulture sector output was worth a very considerable €467m in 2020. It’s the 4th highest sector in terms of value, with only beef, dairy and pigs greater. It employs 6,600 full time staff in primary production with another 11,000 employed in downstream businesses. But I believe that these figures need to be looked at as only the start. There is huge room for growth and development and I want this report to help us build much further on what we are already doing.”
Notes to Editors:
Parties interested in tendering for the report should register their interest on e-tenders.gov.ie.