Food Wise 2025 High Level Implementation Committee (HLIC) Meeting
29th September 2016
Attendance:
DAFM: Minister Creed, Secretary General Aidan ODriscoll, Bill Callanan, Brendan Gleeson, Cecil Beamish and Áine Kilroy
State Bodies: Gerry Boyle, (Teagasc), Aidan Cotter (Bord Bia), Michael Cantwell (EI), Tara McCarthy (BIM) and Matthew Crowe (EPA)
Other Government Depts: Clare Dunne (DJEI) and Terry Walsh (DPER)
Secretariat (DAFM): Sinéad McPhillips & Siobhán Dowling
Apologies: Bríd Cannon, Brian Carroll (DCCCNR) and Ken Spratt (DTTAS)
Introduction:
Minister Creed welcomed the Committee for seventh meeting of the HLIC. He referred to the following developments since the previous meeting of the 29 June:
· The launch of ‘Steps to Success 2016’, the first progress report of Food Wise 2025. Steps to Success 2016 outlines what the Department and its agencies have achieved in year one and what they plan to achieve over the next 12 months. Among the highlights of year one are:
Ø Market openings secured for beef in the US and Canada
Ø Additional market openings for sheepmeat and pigmeat in Asia
Ø Establishment of the Bord Bia centre for consumer insights, The Thinking House; which Minister officially launched on the 28 September
Ø Launch of the Meat Technology Centre.
· The successful Trade Mission to Asia earlier this month, with the assistance of Bord Bia, Sustainable Food Systems Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.
· BIM held the successful Harvesting Our Ocean Wealth conference and SeaFest, Ireland’s national maritime festival in Galway the beginning of July.
· Teagasc hosted the national beef open day in July.
Item 1: Minutes of the 16 and 29 June meetings
Minutes agreed.
Item 2: Brexit
Minister Creed referred to the
· The Brexit Unit in the Department working on all of the issues associated with Brexit;
· Convening a second Consultative Committee of stakeholders in the next quarter that will ensure a full exchange of information as the negotiations proceed following on from the first meeting in July;
· Establishing a contact group under the auspices of this Committee in order to ensure that the response of the relevant agencies is fully co-ordinated.
M Cantwell stated that Enterprise Ireland have a schedule of overseas trade missions, RDI support, human resources and management development to aid companies, internal focus on Brexit and industry concerns. Enterprise Ireland have met recently with IBEC.
T McCarthy referred to a recent seafood conference she attended in Grimsby where it was stated that fishing is the benchmark for success for the UK with Brexit.
A Cotter stated that with Bord Bia’s interactions with companies, Brexit is not the most important issue for them. Bord Bia have weekly internal meetings on Brexit. They are developing diagnostic tools to help companies and they plan to have a pilot in situ by year end.
G Boyle referred to modelling they are carrying out on behalf of the Department and the need for a competitiveness enhancing plan.
Secretary General referred to a recent meeting held with his counterpart in the UK and the forthcoming Secretary General/Perm Secretary meeting the beginning of October in London.
Minister concluded that contacts between the Irish and UK governments are also ongoing at both political and official levels and that he will be meeting with the UK Secretary of State Andrea Leadsom in mid-October. He will also continue to work closely with Ireland’s EU partners with the aim of ensuring a well-managed withdrawal and a strong EU-UK relationship post-exit.
Item 3: Innovation
Attended by: James Conway Research Division.
Minister stated that innovation is an important cross cutting theme from Food Wise 2025. The implementation of Food Wise 2025 recommendations on innovation will be crucial if the ambition for the sector in the report is to be achieved.
S McPhillips referred to three specific Food Wise Actions under innovation that have not yet commenced:
Action 340: Increase industry expenditure on R&D and innovation on setting a target of a 10% increase in funding per annum (under PCF sector)
Action 351: Increase industry expenditure on R&D and innovation on setting a target of a 10% increase in funding per annum (under Alcohol beverages sector).
Action 187: Establish a high level core team to review current agri-food sector innovation capacity, the utilisation of this capacity and to better market the Irish agri-food sector’s innovation capabilities
M Cantwell responded that they are looking at a core team but its composition is crucial. He referred to the annual surveys from companies which gives individual spend and resources on RDI. He agreed with the Department for the need to go back to industry and get more information from them on RDI and get the details by sector.
N O’Connell, a global food business specialist made a presentation on Innovation in the agri food sector. Her presentation dealt with three priorities:
· Technical supports for innovation and scale up
· Company food values (long supply chain & packaging) and
· Talent management.
B Callanan gave an overview of DAFM spending on research. J Conway gave further information on DAFM research initiatives, at national and international level, aimed at improving the competitiveness and sustainability of the agri-food and forest sectors through it three competitive research funding programmes:
· FIRM (food);
· Stimulus (agriculture); and,
· CoFoRD (forestry).
The agencies are doing a lot on innovation: EI innovation vouchers for growth, design skills & talent management for companies, collaborative research among agencies and universities, good innovation in the industry and EI supporting 14 technology centres (four are food technology centres e.g. Meat Technology Centre).
The areas which need work are: innovation for small and medium sized companies, need for public/private partnerships, BIM undertaking a two year study on the seafood sector to better understand the industry and benchmark it internationally (this will require rigorous planning) and identify a plan of what the agri-food sector should look like in 2025.
Minister thanked Ms O’Connell and the other speakers for their presentations.
Item 4: Tillage / Cereals
Attended by: Stephen Collins, tillage farmer; Donál Moloney, Glanbia grain buyer; Pat Ryan, Liffey Mills; Donál Fitzgerald, Goldcrop & chair of the Teagasc Tillage Stakeholders group and Donál Coleman, Crop Evaluation and Certification Division.
D Coleman gave a detailed overview of the tillage sector and in particular; price volatility, managing risks to crops, native grains & malts and the interaction with distilling and drink companies.
The representatives from the tillage sector presented a list of proposals which the Department and the agencies will examine. Department will liaise with the industry on GI status. Bord Bia stated that they would work with the sector but changes to any specifications for Origin Green would have to be approved and accredited.
Minister thanked the representatives for their informative discussion.
Item 5: Seafood
Attended by: Sean O’Donoghue, Killybegs Fisherman’s Organisation; Lorcan O’Cinneide, Fish Processors Organisation; Ritchie Flynn, IFA, Frank Fleming, Irish Responsible Fishing and Josephine Kelly, Seafood Policy Division.
Sean O’Donoghue from Killybegs Fisherman’s Organisation (also a member of Food Wise 2025 Committee), Ritchie Flynn of the IFA, Frank Fleming of Irish Responsible Fishing and Lorcan O’Cinneide from Fish Processors Organisation gave a detailed presentation that covered the following: (i) overview of the seafood sector and Brexit implications, (ii) aquaculture and the licencing issue, (iii) sustainability and (iv) seafood processing and exporting.
Secretary General stated that seafood is a core component of the food agenda, Food Wise 2025 and government policy.
T McCarthy aligned with the presentation and outlined that BIM’s programmes are structured around Food Wise 2025. Sustainability is a joint collaboration between the sector and BIM and BIM are working with Bord Bia on the Quality Assurance Scheme.
The following areas were discussed:
(i) attracting and supporting talent
(ii) encouragement for scale and growth (lack of confidence within small companies)
(iii) geographical locations
(iv) capacity of harbours
(v) add value to product and
(vi) need to know how to deal with supply.
The Secretary thanked the delegation for the clarity of the vision of the sector for all parties. He referred to the aquaculture review and the foreign landing review.
Item 6: Food Wise 2025 Q3 Updates
A detailed report was circulated outlining an update on the 330 recommendations that are either, 2015, 2016 or on-going in Quarter 3 2016. There has been good progress to date with only nine actions not yet commenced, the majority of which the Department requested be commenced by the year end.
Item 7: AOB
(i) Next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 23 November at 10am.
Siobhán Dowling
Economics & Planning Division
30 September 2016