Food Wise 2025 and its predecessor Food Harvest 2020 are very different in style.

Food Harvest nailed its colours to the mast. Specific targets for most sectors, all of which would lead to the value of our food exports doubling to €12bn by 2020.

Food Wise is different. There are just a small number of headline figures: Food exports to grow by 85% to €19bn by 2025, the value of primary production to rise to €10bn and the creation of 23,000 new jobs across the supply chain.

Why did the committee responsible for forming this new road map for the country’s food exports decide not to hold individual sectors to account? John Moloney chaired the group and said that Food Wise 2025 is more scientific in its approach which allows for just one singular target.

“We put our views through a bio-economic model, developed in the rural economy division of Teagasc and in UCG (University College Galway). So if we get to the output targets here, with exports up to €19bn and then get the value of primary production up to €10bn then it should drive all along the supply chain up to 23,000 jobs,” Moloney explained.

Months in the making and after dozens of meetings with the 35-strong committee as well as international business advisers McKinsey, the report are completed. How does Moloney feel to have the report finished?

“I think it’s good to have it done; I think it’s a great thing for an industry with probably 10 sub sectors in it to get the opportunity to put down a set of actions... which forms the basis for a dialogue on he most important thing which is the implementation with the Department and the stakeholders over the weeks and months ahead,” Moloney said.

Listen to John Moloney below: