Forum reconnects food and farming

A NEED to reconnect farming, food and rural communities will be highlighted by Euro-toques Ireland, the Irish Branch of the European Community of Chefs, at its sixth annual national food forum and fair at Brooklodge Hotel, Macreddin, Co Wicklow, on Sunday.

The forum will examine the opportunities for diversification in agriculture and the benefits this may bring to farmers, consumers and local communities. It will also discuss how the agri-food industry impacts on rural economies and how to redevelop rural communities and guarantee their ongoing viability.

Discussion will be based on the concept, taken from the 2002 Curry Report in Britain, that the key objective of public policy should be to reconnect the food and farming industry.