Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Michelle O’Neill, has welcomed the announcement that a ‘Year of Food’ initiative will run throughout 2016. This cross-Departmental and industry partnership initiative aims to promote and establish confidence in home grown produce to consumers and visitors alike. In addition, it offers an opportunity to increase employment capacity in the food and hospitality sectors, and create a favourable image of food from the north throughout external markets.
Commenting on the announcement, Minister O’Neill said: “This is an opportunity to build on existing activities and events to showcase, strengthen and grow the reputation of food from the north of Ireland. Planning for this initiative is already well underway with my officials working closely with those from other Government Departments and industry bodies.
“I hope the momentum will continue to build as this is another unique opportunity for everyone in the north to work collaboratively to reach a common goal. There will be many opportunities for numerous groups and organisations to get involved and I will continue to provide my support and that of my Department to develop the initiative and to assess the benefits that it will bring, subject to budgetary and resource constraints.”
