South Down MP Margaret Ritchie (SSDLP) has stated that food security must be made a higher priority, and that new methods to ensure a safe and stable food supply for the future are vital.
Speaking following the this morning’s launch of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee report into food security, Ms Ritchie said: “This report addresses the key challenges facing Food Security and considers new methods which we must consider if we are to ensure a safe and stable food supply chain for the future.
u2028“We need to be able to look at new agri-tech food production methods and review the position here in Northern Ireland, in light of the challenges ahead due to Climate Change and a rising global population. “The report looks at the resilience of food supply chains, compares trade to domestic production, considers the increasing challenge of Climate Change and the implications it holds for the agricultural industry and food security. It successfully probes the new agri-tech and food production measures that will lead to increased productivity and greater output of food.xa0 These issues and challenges and the potential solutions are vitally important for Northern Ireland and it is vital that the Executive looks at this report. Food production will continue to be at the heart of our economy and will be a major driver of economic growth in the coming years. “It is important to sustain diverse trade links with other countries – while also reviewing domestic production and looking at ways we can get more from the same amount of land – a process referred to asxa0 ‘Sustainable Intensification’ – whereby more food is produced from the same amount of land in a sustainable way.” “The report also examined GM food production and analyses the impact it has on the competitiveness of the market. “In the north of Ireland there are, quite rightly, reasonable fears about the immediate widespread and uncontrolled introduction of GM food production and the SDLP do not support such a move. But going forward we do need to give reasonable consideration to this option, keeping all developments under review and evaluating all the available evidence, as we face growing pressure on food production and security.
“We want Ireland to be at the forefront of modern agri-food technologies but we must ensure that this does not in any way compromise public health or jeopardise the wider food chain. This is a matter I will continue to discuss with the EFRA committee at Westminster and the Irish Government’s Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney TD and one that I plan to raise with the Executive,” added Ms Ritchie.
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