Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Andrew Doyle TD co-chaired a meeting of the Horticulture Industry Forum with Mr. Brian O’Reilly. At the meeting Minister Doyle launched a public consultation to assist the development of a new National Strategy & Environmental Framework for Producer Organisations in the fruit and vegetable sector.

Minister Doyle said that ‘Producer Organisations have a key role to play in strengthening the bargaining position of growers with the retail sector  and the  National Strategy and Environmental Framework will set out the  priorities through which improving the competitiveness of the fruit and vegetable sector and increasing sustainability of production can be achieved.”

The Minister encouraged all stakeholders and all those interested to respond to the public consultation by the closing date of the 26^th April and look forward to future engagement towards the development of this important Strategy for Producers Organisations operating in Fruit and Vegetable sector.

The Minister also informed industry stakeholders at the Forum that two new regulations concerning the potato pest Epitrix were recently signed into law by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed TD.

Minister Doyle said “these regulations were necessary to introduce increased levels of national controls relating to the requirements placed on importers of potatoes, originating in Member States in which Epitrix has been detected, and to address the significant risk to the indigenous potato sector arising from a possible outbreak of Epitrix”.

Minister Doyle concluded by saying that the ‘National measures will be temporary’ and that his Department “will review the decision regularly to reflect decisions made at EU level in relation to the harmful organism and the spread of the pest”.

Note for editors.

Further details of the Scheme for Producer Organisations in the Fruit and Vegetable Sector can be obtained from Crop Policy, Production and Safety Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Administration Building, Backweston Campus, Young’s Cross, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, or via the Departments website on www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmingsectors/horticulture/horticultureschemes

Information on Eptrix

Epitrix (potato flea beetle) is aflea beetle which attack potato plants and tubers, Solanum tuberosum.  The adults of the potato flea beetles feed on the leaves of the plants causing serious damage. This reduces the ability of the plant to photosynthesize which in turn affects the size & quality of the tubers and plant health. The adults lay their eggs in the soil and the larvae then burrow into the tuber and/or the roots and begin to feed. This feeding causes significant damage to the tuber which may become unviable for sale, and the destruction of the roots can result in plant death.

Information Note for this Public Consultation (pdf 183Kb) 

View this Press Release as a PDF: DAFMPR 52/2017 (pdf 369Kb) 

Date Released: 23 March 2017