The Department of Agriculture has launched a public consultation on the future of the horticulture sector, with the submissions helping to form a new national horticulture strategy.

“Through the completion of an online questionnaire, this public consultation is designed to expand engagement outside the sector and help inform the development of a new national strategy by prioritising the identified actions to support the horticulture sector to grow and realise its full potential,” the Department has said.

Food Vision 2030 recognised the value of the Irish horticulture sector as the fourth-largest agriculture sector in Ireland and called for a strategy to set out a roadmap for the industry to 2030 focusing on economic, environmental and social sustainability.

In 2021, the sector had a turnover of €521m and directly employed over 6,600 people.

While it occupies less than 1% of total land in Ireland, horticulture contains a diverse range of sectors, such as mushrooms, potatoes, field vegetables, protected fruit, protected vegetables, outdoor fruit, and amenity crops such as nursery stock, protected crops including bedding plants, cut foliage, outdoor foliage and bulbs, Christmas trees and turf grass.

“From carbon sequestration to enhancing biodiversity such as pollinators, horticultural systems offer many synergies and co-benefits between environmental, economic and social sustainability,” the Department has said.

“However, the scale required, high startup costs, labour shortages and retail pressures pose challenges for the sector, but with a significant trade deficit and changing consumer trends, there are opportunities for import substitution and innovation.”

Submissions

Stakeholders are invited to complete a consultation questionnaire which can be accessed at this link and written submissions may also be sent by email to mailto:horticulturestrategy@agriculture.gov.ie or posted to the following address:

Horticulture and Plant Health Division, Backweston Administration Building, Stacumny Lane, Celbridge, Co Kildare, W23 X3PH.