The development of a co-ordinated strategy for the agri-food and rural development sectors has been proposed by economist and former Minister, Alan Dukes.
Addressing the National Rural Network annual conference in Croke Park yesterday (Tuesday 1 December), Alan Dukes said all key interests in the agri-food industry and in rural development should set up a forum to draw up a sectoral strategy that would be implemented in tandem with a recovery plan for the Irish economy.
Alan Dukes said that while there are many voices expressing convergent interests in the agri-food and rural development sectors, these will get less attention than they deserve as long as they remained uncoordinated.
He proposed that the 15 headings identified in the report from the recent IFA-organised economic forum of Irish farming and food industry leaders should be used as the basic terms of reference for a policy council charged with producing an agri-food and rural development strategy. He said a deadline of 1 September 2010 should be set for the publication of the strategy.
“At this time of economic emergency, we need hard-headed and co-ordinated policies in each of our major economic sectors to support and reinforce an overall recovery programme.
In the agri-food and rural development sector, we have an immense pool of knowledge and talent which must be harnessed and focused for the overall benefit of the community. This proposed forum will be an instrument to do just that,” said Alan Dukes.
The conference, which was run by the National Rural Network at the Tipperary Institute, was attended by 200 delegates from the agri-food and rural development sectors.
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