Purchasing Locally Produced Food Boosts Rural Economies

The Teagasc National Rural Tourism and Artisan Food conference is taking place in Athlone today, Wednesday, 14 October.

Eddie O Neill, artisan food specialist with Teagasc, told the 150 delegates at the conference that the market for artisan food in Ireland is worth €500 million and the rate of market growth is far outstripping Ireland’s ability to supply. Highlighting the benefits of buying locally produced food, Eddie O Neill said:” Surveys show that for every €10 spent on locally produced food, it is worth €25 to the local economy, whereas every €10 spent in supermarkets, just contributes €14 to the local economy. He told the food producers present that artisan food has a competitive advantage in terms of superior price differentiation, compared to commodity food products.

A Teagasc survey of food producers at seventeen of the 142 farmers’ markets in Ireland showed that the respondents were extremely positive about the long-term viability of farmers’ markets. Speaking at the conference in Athlone today, Carol Griffin, meat technologist with Teagasc said:”The survey also identified a need among artisan food producers for advice and training in the area of food safety, legislation and process technology.“ The survey also showed that there were significantly more conventional products on sale (62%) than organic (21%) at farmers markets with the exception being in the fruit and vegetable category. The survey results showed that stallholders were predominantly Irish (83%), selling products or ingredients sourced in Ireland (82%).

At today’s conference Maria Heneghan, Teagasc rural tourism specialist, highlighted the business opportunities in rural tourism. “Rural tourism has endless opportunities, from providing accommodation in hostels, B&Bs, self catering, caravan and camping, to providing holiday activities, including equestrian, walking, water sports, culture and heritage activities, crafts and many others,” she said.

Outlining the market opportunities for tourism businesses she told delegates that there are 7.4 million tourists in Ireland annually, with the majority coming from the UK and mainland Europe. Earnings from the sector in 2008 were worth €6.3 billion, with €4.8 billion of this arising from foreign earnings. She pointed out that walking was one of the most popular activities for tourists with over half a million people participating annually. Maria Heneghan expects modest growth in the tourism market in Ireland of 3 - 4% per annum to 2013.