In correspondence between Web Summit organiser Paddy Cosgrave and Nick Reddy of the Department of the Taoiseach, Cosgrave raises many issues, including the following with the Department of Agriculture:

"To make matters even more unbelievable, we organised the largest showcase of Irish food in the history of the state last year in partnership with Good Food Ireland and Darina Allen. We attracted a long list of leading companies and investors in this space from around the world. Did the Department of Agriculture engage a single person that flew to Dublin? No. Instead of the Irish Minister for Agriculture holding meetings it was left to Prince Charles to extend invitations to key delegates to fly from Dublin to Bristol to meet with him on his country estate, Highgrove, to discuss the future of British food and agriculture over an afternoon. Some of that group also visited No. 10. The group then flew back to Cork to be hosted by Darina Allen in Ballymaloe."

The Irish Farmers Journal is waiting on the Department of Agriculture's response to the statement.