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The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD, today chaired his first meeting of the Food Wise High Level Implementation Committee.

HLIC membership involves senior officials from all relevant Government Departments and State Agencies. “Bringing together this group to progress the detailed recommendations in Food Wise represents a strong whole-of-Government approach to this blueprint for the development of our most important indigenous sector” Minister Creed commented.

The HLIC discussed progress on the 400 detailed recommendations in Food Wise, as well as the key topics of new market development and access to finance. The committee also engaged with representatives of the Prepared Consumer Foods sector.
“I was particularly pleased to engage with representatives from SBCI* and ISIF* in relation to both access to credit and the cost of credit for farmers and SMEs”, Minister Creed commented. This followed the Minister’s meetings earlier this week with the CEOs of AIB and Bank of Ireland. “One of my priorities under the Programme for Government will be to support the provision of lower cost and more flexible finance for the sector, and I have conveyed that message strongly to all of the banking institutions”.

“Food Wise is an ambitious strategy, but I believe that with hard work and the buy-in from industry and my Government colleagues that significant and sustainable growth can be achieved”, Minister Creed concluded.


Note for Editors:
Food Wise: http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/foodwise2025/
HLIC membership: senior DAFM officials, CEOs of Bord Bia, Teagasc, BIM and Enterprise Ireland; senior officials from other relevant Government Depts and the EPA
*SBCI: Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland
*ISIF: Irish Strategic Investment Fund