Kieran Coughlan: Foodwise 2025 sets stiff challenge

Foodwise 2025, a ten-year vision for the Irish agri-food industry, was launched by Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney last week.

Ambitious objectives include a plan to increase the value of agri-food exports by 85%, increase “value-added” by 70%, and increases the value of primary production by 65%.

The document outlines that Ireland has already had huge growth, with food and drink exports having out-performed other sectors of the economy — in effect, the agri-food sector has been recession-proof, with 45% exports growth over the 2009-2014 period.