Study of sheep industry imminent
Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan welcomed the move as a very positive initiative on the part of the processing sector in partnership with Enterprise Ireland.
A steering committee is in the process of being established which will monitor progress on the study.
It will be comprised of representatives of the relevant key players, including producers, processors, Teagasc, Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and the Department of Agriculture and Food.
The group will be chaired by the former Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture and Food John Malone.
Ms Coughlan said it was necessary to analyse and evaluate all aspects of the sheep breeding, production, processing and marketing elements of the industry and their inter-relationship.
It was important to identify the changes that were needed in the various strategies to make them more effective in the future environment and to draw together a cohesive development plan that will put the industry on a solid footing in the post de-coupling era. All relevant interests will be consulted, she added.
Ms Coughlan said she was particularly pleased that the processing sector and producers, the main stakeholders in the industry, were central to this initiative.
A key aspect would be benchmarking against best practice on the world stage including in Britain, France and New Zealand. This is particularly vital in the increasingly competitive international market.
