As part of the submission, the committee is asking for the Minister of State for Food, Forestry and Horticulture Andrew Doyle to meet with representatives from the Irish mushroom industry, along with the Minister for Social Protection in order to put support schemes in place to help employers struggling to pay wages.

The committee is also seeking CAP market support measures to alleviate the pressure upon mushroom producers at present, as well as calling for no increase in excise on agricultural diesel and a €2m funding allocation for the sector to explore more efficient processes.

Agriculture, Food and Marine Committee chair, Pat Deering, said that the decline of the British pound has led to increased challenges in the mushroom industry and a number of proposals need to be taken into account before Budget 2017.

A meeting was held between the committee and representatives from the Irish mushroom industry earlier this week, who made it clear to the committee that “growers are now in loss-making territory”.

Supporting the industry

The Irish mushroom industry is currently in “turmoil”, according to IFA mushroom committee chair Gerry Reilly. He says €7m worth of exports and 130 jobs have been lost since Britain voted to leave the European Union back in June.

Last month, a mushroom factory in Tipperary Town closed, with the loss of almost 60 jobs, mainly due to the fall in exports to England and the weak sterling value.

Mushroom industry ‘thrown into turmoil’ by Brexit

Brexit hits the mushroom sector

Ag committee looks for support for struggling Irish mushroom sector

The Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine has made a submission to Minster Andrew Doyle, seeking action in the Irish mushroom sector.