introduction · • nurture constructive co-operation and active participation by all members of...
TRANSCRIPT
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Introduction
Louth County DeveLopment BoarD chaired by Cllr. Frank Maher was
established in 2000 for the integration of Local Government and Local Development.
The County Development Board is central to the overall integration process at
county level with a focus on social, economic, cultural and community development.
The Board brings together various strands involved in Local Government, Local
Development, the State Agencies at local level and the Social Partners which includes
the community and voluntary sector.
The broad functions of the Board are to:
• Implement a comprehensive County
Strategy on Social, Economic and
Cultural Development
• Identify gaps and duplication in local
service delivery
• Nurture constructive co-operation
and active participation by all
members of the Board based on a
partnership approachLouth County Development Board
Louth Economic Forum
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L o u t h E c o n o m i c F o r u m 1 0 P o i n t P l a n
Louth eConomiC Forum was
established in 2009 under the auspices
of the County Development Board
chaired by Padraic White, former
Managing Director of the Industrial
Development Authority [IDA Ireland]
and currently small and medium
business entrepreneur. Overseas
companies secured for Ireland during
Mr White’s tenure with IDA include
Microsoft, IBM Software and Intel
while he was also central to the
establishment and marketing of the
International Financial Services Centre
(IFSC) in Dublin.
The Forum comprises of the business
sector of County Louth, the local
authority management and all of
the State agencies that interact with
those generating economic activity in
the county and is a one stop shop for
potential investors. A study entitled
Louth County Economic Development
Strategy (2009 - 2015), commissioned
by Louth Local Authorities from
Indecon International Economic
Consultants, provides a blueprint for
the Louth Economic Forum and its
recommendations have shaped the
work of the Forum.
The Louth Economic Forum has devised
an overall 10 point pLan identifying
10 specific areas to be addressed
within its work programme over the
next 3 years. A task group has been
established for each of the areas, the
seventh one being agriculture, Food
and Fisheries which is the subject of
this document.
The purpose of this document is to
outline Louth’s joined up approach
to achieve world-wide recognition
for Louth and the region as a
centre of excellence for sustainable
agricultural practice and specialised
food production resulting in significant
increase in output, exports and
employment in the food and food
related sectors.
Padraic White
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Foreign Direct Investment
Sustainable Energy
Indigenous Industry
Tourism and Heritage
Age-Friendly Business
Education and Training
Agriculture, Food & Fisheries
Broadband
Making Louth the Best County to do Business
Drogheda, Dundalk, Newry Economic Corridor
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910
The Established Task Groups are
L o u t h E c o n o m i c F o r u m 1 0 P o i n t P l a n
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Louth Economic Forum MembershipIndependent Chairperson Padraic White
Business
Drogheda and District Chamber
of Commerce
Padraic Kierans Graham O’RourkeSimon McCormack
Dundalk Chamber of Commerce
Paddy Malone
Declan Murphy
Paddy Matthews
Ardee Business Community
Jim Malone
John Hennessy
Age-Friendly Business Forum
Gavin Duffy
Tourism & Heritage Forum
Ray Carroll
Agriculture, Food & Fisheries Forum
Jim Mulcahy
State / Development Agencies
Enterprise Ireland
Paschal McGuire, Regional Director
IDA Ireland
Breda O’Toole, Head of Regional Business Development
Louth County Enterprise Board
Ronan Dennedy, CEO
SEAI
Declan Meally, Head of Department
Emerging Sectors
FÁS
Peter Egan, Regional Director
TEAGASC
Niall O’Lamhna, Agricultural Adviser
Fáilte Ireland
Kevin Moriarty, Head of Enterprise and Management Support
Dundalk Institute of Technology
Denis Cummins, President DkIT
Local Authority
Louth Local Authorities
Philomena Poole, County Manager
Michael Curran, Director of Economic and Cross BorderDevelopment
Frank Pentony, Dundalk Town
Clerk and Director of Services
Joan Martin, Drogheda Town
Clerk and Director of Services
Michael McCabeBusiness Support Unit
Edel O’Mahony, European and Economic Development Unit
The Process
The agriculture, Food and Fisheries Forum
was established by the Louth Economic
Forum and is chaired by Jim Mulcahy, former
Consumer Food Manager with Enterprise
Ireland. In preparing this Action Plan, the
Forum carried out a swot analysis identifying
key market drivers and where the market
and product opportunities are while
consulting with relevant stakeholders at local
level, including State agencies, the education
sector, industry leaders and local food
producers.
In particular a meeting took place in October
2012 in Enterprise Ireland’s head office where
the draft plan was presented to and discussed
in detail with senior officials in Enterprise
Ireland, Teagasc, Bord Bia and BIM. Their
feedback and comments have been reflected
in the final action plan. The draft was then
presented to and discussed with members
of Louth County Council and Louth County
Development Board at the subsequent monthly
meeting and their feedback and comments are
also reflected in the document.
The Plan was officially launched on 8th July
2013 by Kevin Lane, CEO of the Irish Dairy
Board in An Grianán, Termonfeckin, Co. Louth.
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L o u t h E c o n o m i c F o r u m 1 0 P o i n t P l a n
Members of the Agriculture Food & Fisheries Forum
Paddy CallaghanFounder & Chairman, Nature’s Best Ltd
John McLaughlinGroup Financial Controller, ABP Food Group
Noel SweeneyMaster Distiller, Kilbeggan Distillery
Anita ThomasGlyde Farm Produce, Oriel Food Group
Bronagh ConlonManaging Director, Consultant in Food Development, Branding and Marketing
Jim MaloneChairman, Ardee Community Development
Company (Ardee Business Park)
Michael O’DowdDevelopment Advisor, Enterprise Ireland
Dr. Edel Healy Head of School Health and Science, DkIT
Dr. Breda BrennanHead of Department of Applied Sciences,
DkIT
Dr. David MeredithSenior Research Officer, Rural Economy
Development Programme, Teagasc
Niall O’LamhnaAgriculture Advisor, Teagasc
Denis BrennanLouth Vice Chair, Irish Farmers Association
Michael MurphyDirector of Markets, Bord Bia
Cllr. Colm Markey Chairman, Louth Leader Partnership
Michael Curran Director of Economic & Cross Border Development, Louth Local Authorities
Michael McCabe Business Support Unit, Louth Local
Authorities
Edel O’Mahony European & Economic Development Unit,
Louth Local Authorities
Jim mulcahyChairman
Former Manager, Prepared Consumer Food Products,
Enterprise Ireland
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Louth Economic Forum’s vision for agriculture, Food and Fisheries, in
Louth and the North East Region, is to be recognised as a premier producer of
fresh, natural, safe, quality food products for domestic and export markets by
entrepreneurial and skilled personnel in a strategically advantageous location,
using sustainable methods,
processes and resources.
As Ireland recovers from
recession, all the sectors
in this Action Plan, namely
agriculture, Food
and Fishing, represent
outstanding opportunities
for growth in incomes
and jobs as demonstrated
in the harvest 2020
national Strategy – A
vision for Irish agri-food
and fisheries.
The Vision
north east region’s extensive Catchment
L o u t h E c o n o m i c F o r u m 1 0 P o i n t P l a n
Corridor Business
&
Her
itag
e
Ind
ust
ry
E
nergy
FDI DDN Doin
g B
road
band
Tou
rism
Ind
igen
ous
Su
stainable
AgricultureFood & Fisheries
Learn from best practice and new technologies
from overseas companies in the food
sector. Vigorously promote the
region to attract FDI
Assist
the re
gion to be
at the fo
refront o
f
susta
inability. E
xplore
the use of w
aste
food and
altern
ative cr
ops
to energ
y
Skill
s d
evel
op
men
t an
d
the
use
of
new
sm
art
tech
no
log
ies
fro
m
the
pro
du
cer
to
the
cust
om
er
Pro
mo
tio
n o
f lo
cal
arti
san
fo
od
pro
du
cers
and
fo
od
tra
ils
thro
ug
h r
ecru
itm
ent
of
a fo
od
cham
pio
n
Further develop education and
training programmes for the
AFF sector
Education& Training
Agricultu
re
Food & Fish
erie
s
Business
Age-Friendly
Encourage food producers to
practice smarter
business through the use of ICT
Encourage food
producers to work
together & establish
an AFF cluster to
share resourcesDevelop the East Coast
as the sustainable
development region
for food and
nutritional
products
Assist the region
to be at the
forefront in
development of
health and
nutritional products
for older people
Integrated Development: Assisting other key action areas
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The Challenge
Food Long Term Market Drivers
The global food market is characterised by volatility and increasing uncertainty due to climatic variations and rising commodity prices. In addition, factors such as the following are strongly influencing the market:
Scarcity
The world population is increasing
by an estimated 200,000
inhabitant’s per annum and arable
land is reducing by some 600
acres per day. Production of bio
fuels particularly in the US is also
impacting on supply and the cost
of commodities such as soya bean,
rapeseed oil and cereals.
Reliability
The need for reliability of supply and
security, especially in Brazil, Russia,
India and China, the so-called (BRIC)
countries.
Safety
Demand for disease free,
unadulterated and fully traceable
products. There are a range of product
quality assurance schemes in place
which are all independently audited.
Health and Well Being
Health conscious and demanding
consumers increasingly recognise the
part played by food in promoting and
sustaining health and well being, (you
are what you eat!).
Increasing Affluence and Demand
for protein in developing markets to
include Brazil, Russia, India and China
(BRIC), Asia and Africa, as a rising
middle class seek more meat and dairy
based products.
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Sustainability
The need to reduce green house gas emissions, spurred on
by climate change, as well as the requirement to conserve
scarce and dwindling resources, are now major issues for the
global food industry.
Succession Issues
The need for an ageing profile on Irish farm families. One
of the biggest threats to the Harvest 2020 Strategy is the
ageing profile of Irish farmers.
monaghan mushrooms
Bellingham Blue Cheese
mc Closkeys Bakery
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Market Opportunities have been identified in sectors that include high value products:
Health and Well Being
Including seafood (Omega 3 oils)
Food Ingredients
Including natural colouring &
additives
Speciality Segments
Including age-friendly products,
infant products, as well as offerings
for coeliac sufferers, diabetes, etc
Specialised Sectors
Including artisan products and products with
recognised provenance
EU Potentially Designated Protected Products
Including lamb, oysters, honey and
rapeseed, etc
Pet Food
Is a growing added value product market
Produce accepted as being ‘local’ and
traceable for the UK market
Including beef products
Ferdia Fine Foods
hilton Food Group
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L o u t h E c o n o m i c F o r u m 1 0 P o i n t P l a n
Food related manufacturing and
service products
Food processing equipment
manufacturing and agri-tourism
based on high standard cuisine from
local produce
Food based probiotic or pharmaceutical products
Where the boundaries are becoming
increasingly blurred between food
production and pharmaceutical
products, e.g. neutroceuticals, food
process engineering
Emerging
The linking of ICT to Agriculture
& Food production (SMART-Ag
or SMART-Farm) creating a new
business opportunity. This will
lead to improved food safety,
traceability, enterprise performance,
crop & animal monitoring etc.
Early recognition of this by Louth
could give it first mover advantage.
Drogheda Enterprise Centre
recognises a key strategic role in this
arena.
Louth’s Value Proposition
A strong and highly successful
background in indigenous industry,
which is due to a combination of the
regions culture of entrepreneurship,
its spirit of creativity and innovation,
a highly educated and productive
labour force, excellent educational and
training facilities and, of course, the
excellent location.
Its unrivalled location between
Dublin and Belfast at the heart of the
Eastern Economic Corridor brings with
it numerous advantages. The region
benefits from high quality road and
rail infrastructure running north/south
from Dublin to Belfast through the
county. The M1 motorway is part of
the strategic Euroroute 1 connecting
the ports of Larne, Dublin and
Rosslare providing convenient access
to the UK and other EU markets.
The UK is the biggest growing market
in Europe with a population of an
estimated 64 million.
Louth and its neighbouring counties in the North East Region possess some strategic
production, logistical and marketing strengths, including:
unrivalled Location between
Dublin and Belfast
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L o u t h E c o n o m i c F o r u m 1 0 P o i n t P l a n
The M1 also provides rapid access to
international airports at Dublin and
Belfast. The M1 serves Drogheda,
Dundalk and the N2 Ardee link road
providing high quality road access
to each of these towns. In addition
Louth has three commercial freight
ports in the county, namely Drogheda,
Dundalk and Greenore. Close proximity
gives the location a low carbon
rating for exports.
The overall population of Louth
and its hinterland is set to grow to
almost 133,000 by 2016 providing
a strong skills set to employers. The
population within a 60-kilometre
radius of Drogheda is 1.7m while
the equivalent figure for Dundalk is
over 764,000. This sees Drogheda
and Dundalk ranked as the 1st
and the 3rd largest population
catchment areas in the country
respectively.
Population within
60km catchment
(1 hour commute)
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The regions location also means it is within commuting distance to six
universities in Dublin and Belfast, as well as being within easy reach of
R&D centres. Within the county itself, Dundalk Institute of Technology has an
established track record in the delivery of programmes in the Agriculture and Food
area. Through its links with Ballyhaise Agricultural College, Cavan, it provides a
number of Agriculture programmes including a Level 8 programme in Sustainable
Agriculture. It is hoped to develop an Agri-Food undergraduate programme and
the Institute can provide part time programmes to support the Agriculture and
Food Sector. DkIT also carries out research and development and can provide
enterprise support through the work of the Regional Development Centre.
School of hospitality, Dkit
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L o u t h E c o n o m i c F o r u m 1 0 P o i n t P l a n
The Region has a long tradition in food and drink production dating back to
18th century. This is testament to the local availability of raw materials.
Excellent cold storage and warehousing facilities are available,
while food standard units
combined with flexible
outsourcing opportunities
exist in the region.
County Louth has a long and
accessible seaboard, ideal for
production of marine based
products and fresh fish. It also
has quality, well drained and
generally fertile land, very good
quality water supply and general
absence of flooding (which limits
the consequences for crop loss,
pollution, contamination, etc).
Food & Tourism synergies to include top class restaurants promoting local produce and food trails.
Cooley Distillery
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Proven Track Recordof Existing Companies located in the North East Region
Oriel Food GroupFINE FOOD PRODUCERS
Fine Food Producers
orie
lfoodgroup.ie
Fine Food Producers
orie
lfoodgroup.ie
Fine Food Producers
orie
lfoodgroup.ie
Fine Food Producers
orie
lfoodgroup.ie
Lannléire
HoneyMALONE’S
Specialty Meats∫ ∫
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L o u t h E c o n o m i c F o r u m 1 0 P o i n t P l a n
Strategic Focus
The development strategy for the
Agriculture, Food and Fisheries
industry sector in Co. Louth and
it’s economic hinterland of Cavan,
Meath, Monaghan, and north Co.
Dublin is based on five pillars, or
action areas.
The strategic focus is centred on
exploiting the region’s unique location advantages in the east coast’s Dublin-Belfast economic corridor
to attract foreign and domestic food and
related mobile investment.The value proposition of the north east
will also be used to facilitate new food
small business start-ups, in particular high
potential start-ups.
With the assistance of our strategy
partners – the State Agencies, County
Enterprise Boards (Local Enterprise Offices),
Third Level Colleges, Local Authorities and
the Community, industry competitiveness
and expansions will be driven by
programmes including leadership and
management development, innovation in
product and process development, lean
business practices as well as aggressive
marketing initiatives, to help local
businesses penetrate new export markets,
emphasising the region’s green and
sustainable primary processing credentials.
Fyffes plc
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Action Areas
1
2
3
4
5
The proposed plan of action to further develop the Agriculture, Food and Fisheries sector in the region is based on the following five pillars:
Increasing competitiveness, leading to company expansions
and new business start-ups
Attracting new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the Region
Enhancing leadership and management skills in the
existing industry base
Pursuing new product and service opportunities through
interaction with the educational, development, marketing and research
establishments
Employing new marketing initiatives, in particular highlighting
the sustainability, provenance and traceability of food and
seafood products from Louth and its neighbouring counties in the North
East Region
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L o u t h E c o n o m i c F o r u m 1 0 P o i n t P l a n
Increasing Competitiveness, Leading to Company Expansions and New Business Start-Ups1
• Utilise the excellent network of local and state development agencies, large
companies and educational infrastructure to assist new business start-ups
• Promote and market the food standard units and kitchens in An Grianán and
Ardee Business Park which are available to assist start-ups. Achieve the target
of two new start-ups per annum
• Assist Ardee Business Park in establishing Ardee as a ‘Food Hub’ for the
region. This food hub will provide potential to add value to farm produce
before it leaves the region
Ferdia Fine Foods
• Tap into the font of goodwill and
assistance from larger existing indigenous
and overseas food producing companies
in the region which have offered
mentoring and other forms of assistance
to new company start-ups
Lannleire honey
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• Designate Drogheda Enterprise
Centre as the regions enterprise
‘node’ for commercialising / road
testing R&D which is related to
Smart-ag
• Assist Drogheda Enterprise Centre
to develop a competency in the
training of and marketing support
(especially market research and
promotion) for early stage food
enterprises and entrepreneurs
• Develop international
collaborations that can benefit
the region award Winning mcCloskeys Bakery
Derrycamma Farm
Boyne valley Group
aBp Food Group
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L o u t h E c o n o m i c F o r u m 1 0 P o i n t P l a n
Attracting New Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the Region
• Vigorously promote the region
as the best location for new
foreign direct investment
• Assist existing overseas
companies to win new or
expansion projects
• Highlight the region’s high
value proposition, including the
success of local prize-winning
products
• Target two new significant
investment projects by 2017
The Region has a proven track record
of successful foreign owned food
companies located here such as H.J
Heinz Company in Dundalk which
produces Weight Watchers ready
meals and Hilton Food Group which is
a specialist meat packing company.
Louth itself has also recently
enjoyed significant success in the
attraction of new non-food foreign
direct investment, confirming it’s
attractiveness as a location for new
inward investment.
2
h.J. heinz Company
nature’s Best
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Enhancing leadership and management skills in the existing industry base
3As outlined in the Food Harvest 2020
strategy, desired growth will depend
on improved productivity, increased
scale, targeted research, and enhanced
skills and organisational capabilities.
• Increase competitiveness through
leadership and management
development, employing lean
business practices and total quality
management systems that ensure
a robust and safe supply chain
• Encourage intercompany
cooperation and co-opetition,
to build efficiencies and scale, in
particular logistics, making use of
spare capacity and outsourcing of
manufacturing
• Enhance process efficiency
through the employment of
modern technology such as I.T.,
robotics
Global giants such as Walmart,
Unilever, Nestle and McDonalds
have put sustainability on top of
their agenda.
• A critical component of
Louth’s marketing strategy will
be to highlight the region’s
green credentials. This will
entail employing Bord Bia’s
origin Green initiative in
partnership with industry, where
companies will be encouraged
to participate in a unique
accredited quality assurance
scheme and sustainability
programme
Such a strategy will serve to
provide demonstrable proof of the
commitment of farmers, fishermen
and food producers to meet the
needs of the present without
compromising the capacity of future
generations.
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L o u t h E c o n o m i c F o r u m 1 0 P o i n t P l a n
The Dundalk 2020 initiative has since 2006 led to sustained reductions in carbon
emissions in the participating households, businesses and institutions and has created an
appreciation of sustainable development in the county. The objective set out in this action
plan of establishing the region’s green credentials will envolve full support for the Teagasc
programme with farmers to reduce carbon emissions at farm level. It will also entail
actively supporting Bord Bia to:
• Assist Louth and the region to be at the forefront in conservation, diversity and
sustainability, in terms of the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, energy
conservation, water management, community initiatives as well as health and nutrition
• Encourage farmers in the region to participate in the Teagasc/Science Foundation
Ireland Future Agriculture Food programme
A smarter way of making better use of data by designing better management packages
for farmers. There is a shortage of maths and science students in the education system and
there is potential in food science research
• Encourage farmers to avail of the government tax incentives which encourage long-
term leasing, farm partnerships and land transfer
This would help counter one of the main threats to the attainment of the Harvest 2020
expansion plans, namely, the ageing profile of our farmers
• Encourage farmers to participate in Bord Bia Quality Assurance Schemes
• Encourage farmers to join the Beef Technology Adoption Programme (BTAP) and the
Sheep Technology Adoption Programme (STAP) administered by the Department of
Agriculture Food and the Marine to improve efficiency and profitability.
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Pursuing new product and service opportunities through interaction with the educational,
development, marketing and research establishments
4
• Encourage third level and business collaboration to develop new products and
move up the value chain into the food ingredient or pharmaceutical sectors.
(Innovation Vouchers could be of particular assistance)
• Investigate opportunities to develop new and innovative added value products
in the region
• Design a dedicated interactive website giving information on the food and
drink database in the region
• In collaboration with the various national development agencies such as
Enterprise Ireland, Teagasc, the Marine Institute and Bord Bia, constantly scan
and monitor global markets to identify new and emerging product and service
opportunities
Carlingford oyster Company
L o u t h E c o n o m i c F o r u m 1 0 P o i n t P l a n
• Establish a Smart Agri/Food/Fish
cluster of innovation companies
in the North East Region for the
development of new products,
added value products and new
markets, where technology can
foster increased productivity and
quality
• Develop a Regional Innovation
Partnership for sustainable
development in food and nutrition
products (health and wellness/
living longer). This will encourage
better collaboration between
Industry, Educational Institutions,
Local Authorities and Development
agencies in the region
• The fact that the global market for dairy
products is growing, particularly in the
so-called BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and
China), at 2%-3% p.a. coupled with
the abolition of the E.U. milk quotas
represents an attractive opportunity for
the dairy sector
• In the absence of current restrictions,
farmers are now gearing up for
expansion, and key players in the
processing sector in the North East such
as Lakeland Dairies and Abbott are now
well placed to benefit from the increased
demand and anticipated higher prices
for products such as UHT milk and infant
formula.
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Aruna Sauces
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Employing new marketing initiatives, in particular highlighting the sustainability, provenance and traceability of food and seafood products from Louth and its neighbouring counties in the North East Region
5
• Highlight the ‘local’ aspect of
the region’s food produce for
the UK market. The UK market
is the world’s ninth largest
grocery market and a market
with characteristics very similar to
those of the Republic’s. (Bord Bia)
• Seek Protected Geographical
Indication (PGI) or Protected
Designation of Origin (PDO) for
selected regional products e.g.
Cooley lamb, honey, oysters etc.
• Emphasise the region’s agricultural
and marine standards of
sustainability, product freshness
traceability, and other safeguards
• Highlight and exploit the region’s
longstanding traditional skills, e.g.
in brewing, distilling and food
processing
• Highlight its many prizewinning
products, particularly in the artisan
sector. e.g. Oriel Food Group
• Highlight the health giving properties
of Louth’s natural seafood including
shellfish
• Build on the regions reputation to
include a recognisable regional brand
• Recruit a high profile ‘Food
Champion’ to promote the region
Bryan Lynch Finest Salads
L o u t h E c o n o m i c F o r u m 1 0 P o i n t P l a n
Implementation of the Action PlanThere are many proposed developments
set out in this Action Plan. Success
will require a sustained and coherent
approach to implementation.
We propose the establishment of an
Implementation Steering Group to
oversee its implementation over the
initial three years. We would see its
membership reflecting the different
stakeholders who in partnership can
make a difference in achieving the
income and job potential of the Action
Plan. We would welcome participants
from other counties of the North East
region as well as Louth.
The Implementation Steering Group
should have the services of an
Implementation Executive to assist it
during the initial three year period.
The sourcing and funding of such an
Executive should be explored urgently and
imaginatively, including on a secondment
basis.
Cooley Lamb
For More Information Contact
Louth Local Authorities
County Hall
Dundalk
Co. Louth
T +353 42 9324230
F +353 42 9334549
W www.louthcoco.ie
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