Ambitious expansion goals for food sectors are achievable, says Coveney

AMBITIOUS expansion goals are achievable across all food sectors, Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney told the High Level Implementation Committee on Food Harvest 2020.

Chairing his first committee meeting, Mr Coveney restated his commitment to “driving forward the implementation phase to ensure that the targets are fully achieved and the potential of the agri-food and fishing sector is fully realised”.

The minister said the goals would see the sector’s output gains grow by €1.5 billion, value-added outputs by €3bn and exports to at least €12bn.

Industry representatives, present at the meeting, agreed with the minister that the outlook for the sector is very positive, if the appropriate actions are taken by all concerned, and they confirmed their willingness to play their part in fully grasping this opportunity.

Mr Coveney said: “As a minister with an enthusiasm for and personal commitment to the agri-food and marine sectors, I am taking an active role to ensure that the targets in Food Harvest 2020 are not alone met, but exceeded.” He told the meeting, “everywhere I go, throughout the country, I see great potential and tremendous positivity in the agri-food and marine sectors and I want to see that positive attitude harnessed and turned into real economic growth.”

The sector currently employs up to 150,000 people and has an annual output of over €24bn and is a huge export-orientated industry.