Minister McConalogue’s Speech to “Food, Agriculture and Livelihoods” week at Expo 2020, Dubai

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

What can I say? This is Expo 2020, this is the Irish pavilion and this is the kick off of the “Food, Agriculture and Livelihoods” week.

While it is fitting that food is a key theme of Ireland’s participation in this global event, the truth is that every time we sit down with our families and friends and eat Irish food, we are celebrating the rich culture and creativity of our Irish food offering.

I say this at most of my speeches and address but I only say it because I mean it... Our food sector is truly world class.

From our committed farmers who milk the cows, rear the calves, grow the crops to our innovative processors and to our dynamic marketeers, we are not individuals - we are a team.

We are individuals coming together to make a great team. We win as a team, we have challenges as a team but we are just that - individual great parts who make up something truly inspirational.

Collectively, we create a €13.5bn export sector that takes food from family farms to the kitchen tables across the globe.

I have seen some of the best and brightest people in our food sector in the Gulf this week. We are truly brimming with talent who market our food to match the skill of farmers and food producers at home.

From Malin Head to Minneapolis and from Butlersbridge to Beijing, we could not be a success without us all moving as unit.

Our sector had evolved so rapidly on such a short space of time, it's quite unbelievable to think how far we have come to being the first choice food source of some of the most world class food outlets in the world. Tonight, I will have dinner in the Burj Khalifa, the world's highest building, where Irish beef, dairy, seafood and poultry will be served.

And what a perfect setting. Irish food and drink being served at the top of the world. That's something we can all be proud of.

From growing up on a small family farm in Donegal that helped rear six children, to now being in the privileged position of being the Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I get enthused when I have the opportunity to tell people about our food sector.

Greatness recognises greatness and that's why we are the go-to choice for some of the most prestigious customers in the world, including Chef Eka at the Burj Khalifa restaurant - At.Mosphere - where I will have the pleasure of dining later.

And we have a plan to build on our performance thus far. That plan is Food Vision 2030. This is a stakeholder-led plan for the agri-food sector which will see us grow our exports from €13bn to €21bn by the end of the decade.

It's a plan with sustainability at its core - economic, social and environmental sustainability. Each are as important as each other and will ensure the long term viability and success of our remarkable sector.

Sustainability is not just a buzzword or marketing speak. It's fact and it's a way of life. It's mission critical to the success of our sector.

Just recently I heard Hilary Clinton's former agriculture advisor Jack A. Bobo say that over the next 40 years, we are going to need as much food as we have produced over the last 1,000 years. That's astonishing.

So, as we move towards a global population of 10bn by 2050, with a greater pressure on our natural resources, we have to ensure that sustainability is at the core of everything we do.

The sustainability of our environment is paramount. We have taken mother nature for granted too much, for too long and we must protect her through addressing biodiversity and water quality decline.

The sustainability of our society will ensure we have vibrant communities to live, work and grow in.

Crucially, our farmers and food producers need financial sustainability to ensure they can continue what they do best: produce world class food and receive a fair financial reward for doing so.

In essence, that is the course we are charting in Food Vision 2030.

Last year I participated on behalf of Ireland in the UN Food Systems Summit. We now have just eight harvests left to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, and food systems transformation is absolutely essential to delivering on that global commitment.

Our experience of developing our Food Vision 2030 strategy through an inclusive stakeholder-led process, and taking a food systems approach, is of significant interest internationally. Part of our commitment to a meaningful follow up to the Food Systems Summit is to to work with UN agencies to provide structured support to partner countries to build their own capacity to develop and implement their own national pathways.

Ireland stands ready to work with all stakeholders to accelerate the global transformation to a more equitable, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable food system.

Conclusion

I am sincerely grateful to be here with you all today. It such an honour to see the journey of food from farm to high end retail and restaurant to the consumer. We all play a pivotal role in making our food sector what it is today – a pioneering, innovative, ambitious and exciting industry with great people from far to fork.

I am truly grateful for everything you do and thank you for being here today.

Go raith maith agaibh