61 Deputy Margaret Conlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food his views on the need for a comprehensive medium term plan for the agrifood and fishing sector here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43445/09]

As I have previously indicated on a number of occasions, a new development plan for the period to 2020 is required to maintain the impetus gained from the Agri Vision 2015 and the Agrifood 2010 strategies. Work on this plan is already well advanced and I expect the public consultation element to commence in December. At this stage, it is too early to anticipate its contents but I expect that it will have a strong emphasis on the critical issues of competitiveness, environmental sustainability and food security.