Producers’ import replacement goal

ENHANCED branding and labelling could help Irish flower and plant producers replace imported produce which currently makes up a third of the Irish horticulture market, according to Shane McEntee, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Mr McEntee said that the Irish retail market for plant and flower sales is estimated to be worth in the region of €235 million per annum.

He told horticulturists at the first Garden Landscape Amenity Showcase (GLAS) at the City West Exhibition Centre that this import replacement goal was an achievable target, citing Bord Bia’s recently-published strategy for the horticulture amenity sector.