TARGETS SET in the Harvest 2020report were ambitious but achievable, Taoiseach Brian Cowen told a press conference at the National Ploughing Championships.
Mr Cowen said he was heartened to hear from Enterprise Ireland that 70 per cent of the markets Ireland lost in 2009 were regained in 2010 and this trend was continuing. The report was about making the agrifood industry more competitive and better marketing.
“There is a lot of grounds for optimism in the food industry generally, our competitiveness has improved,” Mr Cowen said. “Smart green growth is the basis on which the ‘Food Harvest’ report sets out a growth path for Irish agribusiness and Irish agriculture generally,” he said.
Questioned on friction between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Environment, he said they did not have mutually exclusive objectives.
Anna May McHugh, managing director of the National Ploughing Association, said 182,000 visitors had come to the championships this year and the event would be held on the same site next year.
“We have wonderful support from the industry this year and while I do not know what level of business was done on site, it is a good sign of recovery and confidence when people want to come and set up their stands here,” she said.
The Irish Farmers’ Association president, John Bryan, said the main banks needed to get back to the business of providing competitive loans to farmers and agri-business if the State was to capitalise on the sector’s growth potential.
“Very significant on-farm investment in buildings and stock will be required over the next few years. From talking to farmers here over the last three days, there is deep concern that the banks are increasing rates and charges on existing loans and failing to show enough interest in financing the planned expansion, especially among committed young farmers,” he said.
Jackie Cahill, president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, said unless plans for expanded milk production were based on facts and involved better income for the dairy farmers, then they must be viewed sceptically.
He said the ability at farm level to produce extra milk was not in question. The more important question was what markets were going to take the extra product and how much of that export revenue would find its way back to the milk suppliers.
He said the association commissioned Prof Michael Keane to estimate the cost of expansion. The preliminary findings indicated a 20 per cent expansion between now and 2020 would require a capital outlay of €150 million.