G o v e r n m e n t f o r N a t i o n a l R e c o v e r y 2 0 11 - 2 0 1 6
We will construct a 100 million Microfinance Start-Up Fund that will provide start-up loans and equity that draws funding from the NPRF and private institutional funds. We will support the development of a more dynamic, venture capital industry in Ireland by seeking to attract top tier venture financing and investment companies to Ireland, such as Silicon Valley Bank. We will work to promote a greater appreciation of the co-operative model as a distinct form of organisation, ensure a level playing field between co-operatives and the other legal options for structuring enterprise activities, and provide a conductive framework for the full potential of the co-operative model to be realised, including in areas such as childcare, education, housing, energy retrofitting, environmental protection, transport and healthcare. Sectoral Strategies Together with significant reforms and initiatives to improve the overall competitiveness of the economy, its capacity for innovation, its export performance, and the skills of our labour market, as outlined in this Programme for Government, we will also undertake a number of specific sectoral strategies for job creation in the domestic economy. These include initiatives in the retail and SME sectors, and in ICT. Other sectoral strategies include: Growing the agri-food sector • • • • • • • •
•
CAP reform will be vital for the future development of the agri-food sector. Our primary aim is to secure a fair overall funding envelope for agriculture under the CAP and a fair share of this budget for Irish agriculture. We will prioritise a Single Farm Payment system which best benefits active Irish farmers and the Irish grass based system of production. Further expansion and innovation in our dairy and meat sectors will be a key priority under a reformed CAP and we will work with industry to achieve more intensive levels of production. We will facilitate cooperation in the sector to move towards market-based pricing in order to reflect improved products and innovation in the meat and dairy sectors and the development of more integrated supply chains. We will promote greater land mobility and involvement of young farmers by investigating new farm models and farm partnerships between farmers, while retaining our family farm structure. We will work at an EU level to ensure that programmes targeting the involvement of young farmers in agriculture will be a key policy of the CAP. We will legislate to ban a number of unfair trading practices in the retail sector, such as ‘hello money’ from food suppliers. New food businesses will be developed through a series of coordinated efforts across the food sector and state agencies, such as building pilot plant kitchens to allow food producers develop and manufacture products on small scale and development by Enterprise Ireland of scaleable manufacturing solutions for food businesses that have the capacity to expand. We will develop a single brand for the Irish agri-food sector globally. Bord Bia will also work in cooperation with producers and small businesses to develop value-added Irish food brands, such an eco brand, and local brands.
12