The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, has launched the Annual Review and Outlook for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2018.
The Annual Review and Outlook for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2018 gathers information from a variety of sources to provide a detailed examination of Ireland’s agri-food sector and an outlook for the future.
This year’s publication includes chapters on farm incomes and structures, agricultural commodities and inputs, trade, forestry and climate change.
A Vital Sector
“Agriculture is Ireland’s most important indigenous industry, with the agri-food sector continuing to play a vital role in Ireland’s economy, with a turnover of €26 billion, contributing 7.8% of GNI and generating over 11% of total exports in 2017,” Minister Creed said.
“Employing over 174,000 people the sector makes a significant contribution to employment, particularly in rural and coastal areas.”
Case studies throughout highlight topics including women in agriculture, social farming initiatives funded through the “Rural Innovation and Development Fund”, the future of CAP post-2020 and the launch of a new online international market access tool.
The portal was developed by the Department as part its Action Plan on intensifying international market access, a key Brexit response, and in line with the “Market Development" theme of the Food Wise 2025 strategy.
“The policy framework of the agri-food sector needs to evolve and change in response to European and international developments, such as CAP reform, Brexit, and trade policy,” Minister Creed added.
“I believe a strong evidence base is essential for policy formation and implementation and am confident that the information and statistics included in the Annual Review and Outlook will assist in policy analysis and debate in the sector over the next year.”
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
