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Food and Drink Federation - 10/04/2002
FOOD & DRINK FEDERATION (FDF)
DIRECTOR: CIARAN FITZGERALD
Sector profile
The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) is the largest federation within IBEC. It acts as an umbrella organisation for 29 separate associations and focuses both on representation and services for its members within Ireland, EU institutions and to the international market through bodies such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The federation provides services in regulatory affairs, business representation and human resources. Member firms operate in a variety of sectors, such as agri-business, drinks, food and non-food grocery products, including health and beauty.
Sector’s mission
The mission of the Food and Drink Federation is "to co-ordinate and articulate the Food industry's views on the main economic and regulatory policies that drive the sector."
Sector Director - Ciaran FitzGerald
Ciaran Fitzgerald is Director of Sectors in IBEC having been appointed to the Executive Board in June 2001. He is also director of IBEC's Food and Drink federation, a post he has held since 1993. Fitzgerald has served on the EU Advisory Committees on dairying, beef and veterinary affairs. He is also a member of the Government’s food expert group which put together the development plan for the Food and Drink sector as part of the NDP.
Sector’s economic significance
Combined with the agricultural sector and the grocery retail business, the food and drink industry is the biggest sector in the Irish economy .Turnover in 2001 is estimated 13 billion. This constitutes 25% of Ireland’s total manufacturing output.
The food and drink sector accounts for 8% of GNP with, agriculture accounting for a further 3.9%. There are 680 companies operating in the food and drink sector in Ireland providing direct employment for 47,000 people. This represents 25% of total manufacturing employment in Ireland and 11.8% of total economy employment.
In addition, the food and drink sector underpins the livelihoods of 140,000 farmers and 60,000 jobs in the grocery retailing sector. Food and drink exports are valued at 6.9 billion, constituting 70% by volume of the sector’s output .Given the very low import content the sector remains the biggest contributor to net export earnings in the economy.
Key strategic imperatives
To sustain its economic importance, the sector is addressing a number critical interfaces. These include:
- the EU Commission and Irish Government Departments in relation to the development and implementation of economic and regulatory issues;
- the WTO in relation to trade development matters;
- food and drink retailers in relation to both common initiatives and evolving issues in retailer supplier relationships;
- consumers in respect of the integrity and safety of food; and
- farmers in regard to the supply and quality of their raw material.
EU membership
Ireland’s membership of the European Union has played a pivotal role in the economic development of the Irish food and drink sector. "Membership of the European Union has allowed Ireland to benefit from various aspects of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which has increased our production capability and our access to markets worldwide," says Ciaran. "In beef ,dairying and the drink sector membership of the European Union has provided vital access to a major trading bloc and export support to the world market."
Views on Nice
On Nice, Ciaran is equally emphatic. "The Irish food and drink industry views ratification of the Nice Treaty as an integral part of the enlargement process," he says. "Access to a wider market for export products is essential for a small economy such as Ireland, so dependent on exports," says Ciaran. While there are some issues which need to be resolved, these are best dealt with by negotiating from inside. Ciaran believes that a "failure to ratify the treaty could jeopardise Ireland’s position within the EU and would have serious implications for our market share."
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