One in eight Irish jobs linked to farming and food, claims IFA

ONE in every eight jobs in the Irish economy is linked to farming and the food and drinks sector, it was stated yesterday.

The Irish Farmers Association said the government can no longer stand back from the untold damage being inflicted on the country’s €18 billion food and drinks industry by retail wars which are geared only at delivering more profit for supermarkets.

Padraig Walshe, president, was responding to a report by Food and Drinks Industry Ireland, a business group within IBEC, which claimed the competitiveness of the sector has been damaged by a high business cost base and sterling depreciation.

The report published yesterday claimed that more than 2,000 jobs have been lost already this year and many thousands more are at risk.

It called for urgent Government action to reduce business costs, particularly energy, as well as the introduction in Ireland of a supermarket ombudsman and a supermarket code of practice.

Tánaiste Mary Coughlan, speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme, said she had asked the Competition Authority to investigate the real costs of doing business in Ireland.

A code of practice for the industry was almost complete, she said.

Mr Walshe said he had previously proposed the introduction of a new retail code of practice and supermarket ombudsman.

Warning the Government not to drag its feet on the issue, he said he will be pursing it today at a meeting of the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee.