In view of the outstanding success of the mushroom growing industry, particularly in my constituency, would the Minister agree that since so many people are entering this industry it needs to be monitored carefully lest people who made a major investment in the early years find there is over-production in the years to come?

There is an ongoing process of monitoring the rapid expansion in mushroom growing. We are particularly happy with the marketing strategy and we are getting premium prices for top quality produce in the British market. The expansion into areas such as Counties Mayo, Galway and Roscommon in recent times is much appreciated. In areas of small farm holdings, mushroom growing is a useful economic project, especially on holdings which are at best marginal or in some cases uneconomic.