Development plan needed, says Dukes

AN industry-wide policy council charged with producing an agri-food and rural development strategy was proposed yesterday by economist and former Government minister Alan Dukes.

He said the 15 headings identified in the report from the recent Irish Farmers Association-organised economic forum of farming and food industry leaders should be used as the basic terms of reference.

Mr Dukes, who was addressing 200 delegates at the National Rural Network annual conference in Croke Park, said a deadline of September 1, 2010, should be set for the publication of the strategy.