It has been widely said that Irish consumers should buy Irish food – some consumers suspect that it’s a desperate attempt by some unscrupulous peddlers to wrap themselves in a (national) flag of convenience. Supporting Irish primary producers (Irish farmers) should be the first point in motivational purchasing decisions from every Irish manufacturer’s perspective. However, the primary producer should be producing foods of the highest quality whilst embracing best practice. This is fundamental. If Irish food manufacturers fail to source locally, then why should consumers bother to buy from them? The only argument for Irish manufacturers sourcing outside this jurisdiction should be on the grounds of unavailability; price alone should not be a barrier and superior quality should be a prerequisite.

The Power of the Consumer:

If there is a broad acceptance of these principles of trading internally and trading fairly, the Irish consumer must exercise their influence – engaging more with Irish manufacturers and becoming more vocal at supermarket level by insisting on products that meet the following simple criteria:

- Irish manufactured
- Primary ingredient is Irish
- Best quality

If the product does not tick all boxes, then the question should be asked, “Why not?”

As consumers, we have the power to effect real change: the recently launched Love Irish Food campaign calculates that if just one third of Irish households spent only €1.67 more on Irish purchases each week, an additional €35 million would be generated for the Irish economy.

“Casualties of the collapse are not simply statistics; they are our mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, partners. Not only is their loss of income a personal catastrophe; it’s a national issue.”

The Price Issue:

Undoubtedly price is a factor in influencing the consumer’s purchasing habits and this is how it should be. Now more than ever, producers and manufacturers cannot rely on the consumer’s sense of patriotism alone. It is incumbent on all those involved in food production to keep prices keen and this includes farmers, manufacturers, retailers and government. But buying Irish has advantages for the whole population. Simply put, it’s in our economic interest to support home produced goods. Not to prop up farmers and food manufacturers but to secure jobs for all of us. If the property bubble has taught us anything, it’s the way in which we are all connected and the far reaching consequences of the collapse of a single sector within our economy. (It’s not just builders who have lost their jobs recently – it’s estate agents, solicitors, mortgage brokers, printers, alarm installers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, advertisers, publishers, retailers, materials manufacturers and all of the thousands of people they employ). These casualties of the collapse are not simply statistics. They are our mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, partners. Not only is their loss of income a personal catastrophe; it’s a national issue by way of a further drain on the state’s already depleted resources via an increase in the social welfare bill.

Why is it important to support Irish Farmers?

If a country supports their local farmers, not only will it retain finances in the country but it is the first step to adding efficiencies to the country. Coming from a population base of circa 4.2 million, the Republic of Ireland lacks the population base to gain efficiencies that all other European countries have (apart possibly from Luxembourg) and indigenous manufacturers are therefore more dependent of the Irish consumer over indexing (purchasing a higher percentage) of Irish produced foods. Lack of population mass adds considerable cost to every kg of food sold in the Republic and in order to attempt to offset these unique costs, Irish manufacturers must do what they have to do to maintain the loyalty of their Irish consumer. Without the consumer’s support, Irish food manufacturers will become unviable and ultimately insolvent. Needless to say that Ireland would lose on many fronts, The primary producer would lose an option for route to market, the staff of the manufacturer would lose their jobs (instead of being a positive on the exchequer the numbers would shift to being a further drain on Exchequer funds through social welfare payments), the Irish Consumer would lose further future food security, the country would lose future potential exports (every company in my opinion, has an obligation to export and draw in necessary “foreign capital”). Ireland would end up worse than Greece, insofar as we would be overly dependent on our neighbour for not only our food but also for our food security.

The trickle up effect…

Rural towns thrive on a prosperous agricultural hinterland. Geographical larger centres thrive on a flow of money into them from rural towns. The larger centres feed the capital – it’s all the trickle-up effect. Many would be dismissive of the argument that when farmers stop spending money, then the country grinds to a halt. In recent times the impact of farmers on the economy as a whole was considered by some as negligible, as there were bigger and more lucrative avenues to be pursued, i.e. property and all things related. Property is off the agenda for the next decade. So we need to improve what we have, dust ourselves down and reboot the economy. We need a vibrant internal market – I accept based on a population of 4.2million that this is not wholly achievable but we have to make the best of what we have and a start needs to be made somewhere. Rather than farmers are not spending money because they too have little or no confidence in their immediate future viability. The majority of farmers have also taken a beating on their income and earning potential of their farming units, the money has stopped flowing upwards.

Irish Food Manufacturers need to trade fairly with their Irish farming suppliers. Farmers must undertake to not only adhere to the best possible standards of food production but to surpass them in a manner that should do so in as efficient a manner as possible. Irish farmers should be producers of all of our country’s power (electrical needs). If the Farm Organisations want to champion the Irish Farmer, they should likewise attempt to champion the Irish Consumer. The Farm organisations should therefore establish a communication forum and consumer panel to listen to Irish Consumers and their needs.