With Kilkenny’s Food Strategy now on hold since January, Kilkenny Leader Partnership, has renewed calls to Government to solve the current EU food funding crisis. Confusion over the allocation of EU funds for rural Irish food businesses arose earlier this year resulting in the indefinite suspension of Leader funding for the Irish food sector.
According to Kilkenny Leader this suspension is impeding the expansion and growth of local food businesses as well as halting the progress of Kilkenny’s Food Strategy.
At the recent Bord Bia Regional Food Showcase in Kilkenny, promoting the potential of the food sector in the southeast, Declan Rice, CEO of Kilkenny Leader Partnership, presented Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine, Simon Coveney with a copy of Kilkenny’s Food Strategy and highlighted the effects the funding suspension is having on local food businesses.
He said: “Small food enterprises are absolutely vital to the farming and rural community’s future in Kilkenny. Because of the current situation we can’t fund capital investment and food production units, it makes it difficult to support any local food events or festivals and we can’t go ahead with plans to create Kilkenny’s Food Village. As food businesses consistently outperform other high value sectors in creating sustainable jobs, and no other rural enterprise offers the same opportunities for employment, this funding crisis is disastrous for business development and job creation across Kilkenny.
“Despite working hard with all agencies and stakeholders to produce a comprehensive food strategy for Kilkenny, supporting new and existing food enterprises and creating jobs, this funding crisis means it is now on hold. On behalf of Kilkenny’s indigenous food sector, we are calling on Government to resolve this crisis as a matter of urgency.”
Local food producer and Kilkenny Leader client, Julie Calder Potts, says, “The support of Kilkenny Leader was crucial in the launch of our Highbank Organic Orchard Syrup, the first Irish product of its kind in Europe. Demand for our product has resulted in us needing a small factory to increase our manufacturing capacity. Kilkenny Leader was going to support us with capital investment and now cannot because of this funding suspension. We need this funding in order to capitalise on being the first product of its kind in Europe for our expansion into the export market.”
Kilkenny Leader Partnership is a significant funder of small rural food businesses in Kilkenny and currently supports 40 small to medium food producers in the county, with combined turnovers of €15m. It also hosts 70 food retail outlets with estimated combined turnovers of €125m and 139 Kilkenny businesses involved in food service/food tourism, with combined food turnovers of €104m.
