Ireland: Food Wise 2025 a ten year strategy for the Irish agri food sector

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, TD, Ministers of State Tom Hayes TD and Ann Phelan TD announced plans for a new ten year strategy for the agri food sector, aptly named Food Wise 2025.

Food Wise 2025 predicts that over the next decade Ireland can;

• increase the value of agri food exports by 85% to €19 billion,
• increase value added to the sector by 70% to €13 billion,
• increase the value of primary production by 65% to €10 billion.

This should deliver a further 23,000 jobs in the agri food sector by 2025.

The key messages from Food Wise 2025 are:

• The Irish agri-food sector has been very resilient throughout the recent economic turbulence with significant development within the sector. Food and Drink exports have out-performed other sectors of the economy (45% growth in Irish Ag-food exports compared to 4% for overall merchandise exports 2009-2014 period)
• Food Wise 2025 has new ambitions for the sector for further growth, growth which is sustainable – economically, socially and environmentally
• Food Wise 2025 has harnessed the collective wisdom, experience and knowledge of leading industry stakeholders and sets a course for the industry of smarter greener more sustainable growth over the next decade
• Food Wise 2025 is a statement of intent from the industry to capitalise on a host of new growth opportunities arising from the ever-increasing global demand for food and for new and innovative food solutions. Ireland is well placed to meet these demands given our comparative advantage in producing a range of sustainable, safe, nutritious and innovative food products.