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Speaking today at the opening of an International Conference on Predictive Modelling of Food Quality and Safety, Shane McEntee, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine underlined theimportance of the agri-food sector to the economy and the significant investment that his Department has made in recent years in the area of food safety research.

"Food Harvest 2020 highlights the key role that research, technology and innovation have to play in developing a strong, competitive and vibrant agri-food industry. In this regard my Department has spent a lot of money over the last 10 years in developing critical mass and capability in many research institutions in Ireland through the Food Institutional Research Measure (FIRM). Since 2000, FIRM has awarded a total of €145m to approximately 218 food research projects across the island of Ireland".

The Minister went on to state "Safety of the food chain can never be taken for granted as food production continues to evolve. New products and processes are emerging all the time. In the recent past, major food safety incidents, both at home and abroad, have shown us the importance of being prepared to deal swiftly and effectively with new challenges".

He concluded by saying "the Government will continue to pay close attention to developments in food safety so that our industry can be to the forefront in this important area. I congratulate you on your achievements so far and wish you well in your deliberations today."