JOHN MALONE

Agriculture and Business

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Agriculture in the Economy

• Severe Economic Contraction• Drop in Consumer purchasing Power• Weak World Demand• Reduced Public Expenditure• No New Expenditure• Scale and Depth of Problems• Lack of Confidence /Uncertainty

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Impact On Rural Ireland

• Economic Impact Nationwide• Unemployment: • Rural Ireland badly affected; farm incomes• Decline in Off Farm Employment: Drop of 1/3 • Loss of Building Activity• Emigration ; more visible in Rural Ireland• Land Values More Realistic• Attitudes to a Career in Agriculture

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Agriculture is Big Business

• Business: worth €10 Billion +• Value of Exports: €8 Billion• User of Inputs: €4 Billion• Borrowings: €5 Billion• Investment: €1.9 Billion• Direct and Indirect Employment: 180,000

people

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Shared National Agenda

• Get Economy Growing• Stabilise Public Finances• Get the Banking System Working• Improve Competitiveness• Social Partnership: 1987/pay bargaining• Different style Social Partnership

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Shared Goals

• Economy has potential to grow: ESRI• Different Drivers of Growth• Exports• Exploit the Environment• Flexible Work Force• Up the Value Chain from Basic Manufacturing• A Good place to Do Business• Different economy than in the 1980’s

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Issues

• When Global Demand Picks Up: we are positioned

• See Environment as an Asset• Structure of Agri-Food Sector• Get our Cost base Down• Innovation• Use the Assets we built in the last decade

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Alliances

• Consumer/ now greater trust• Education / wider agenda and within

Agriculture/back to Education• Investment in R and D• Policy on Energy• Climate Change/ holistic approach• Business Sector • Exporters

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Rural Development

• Exposure to Building Sector• Small food Companies, 400• Attitude to CAP post 2013;net contributors• Targeted use of Funds• Role of Forestry• Tourism Sector• Communications

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Policy Formation

• Sectoral Issues Will Always be There• Pillars of Rural Development’ competitiveness,

enterprise, environment.• Cross Cutting Issues/ Thematic Approach• Approach Followed by EU Commission• Social Partnership• No sector is an island

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