Budget 2027 needs to support the growth of Ireland's horticulture sector through targeted investment in growers and targeted supports to attract new growers and encourage generational renewal. Investment in start-up grants, financial assistance with access to land, investment in education and training to upskill our workforce, investment in mentoring, and capital supports will help remove barriers to entry to the sector. Supporting new entrants is critical to maintaining domestic food production, driving innovation and delivering the ambitions of the National Strategy for Horticulture 2023–2027.

The Irish horticulture sector provides locally grown, quality food and plants and plays a crucial role in supporting the economy. The farm gate value of the sector in 2025 was €652 million, with an estimated 18,000 jobs at both primary and value-added levels. The National Strategy for Horticulture 2023-2027 sets out a clear vision to grow a more profitable value-added sector, driven by innovation and sustainability, and provides a roadmap for the sector to achieve this potential. It outlines eight key strategic actions to drive change and growth across all subsectors of horticulture, including attracting new entrants to the sector.

The Government provides significant support to deliver on the implementation of this strategy, through a range of supports and initiatives underpinning the sector's resilience, competitiveness and long-term sustainability. This includes a scheme of investment aid for the development of the commercial horticulture sector, which provides grant aid to horticulturists towards capital investments in specialised plant and equipment, as well as technology adoption specific to commercial horticulture production. The scheme covers all horticultural areas, including field vegetables, which includes seed potatoes, mushrooms, protected food crops, amenity crops, soft fruit, top fruit and beekeeping.

The scheme of investment aid for innovation and diversification in the horticulture sector and the scheme of aid for innovation and diversification in horticulture capital investments are designed to assist horticulturists in increasing innovation and diversification activities in the sector.

Changes in the eligibility requirements around young farmers in the horticulture capital investment schemes have meant that more young growers have been able to access higher rates of grant aid, thereby encouraging generational renewal.

Recognising that the future success of the sector depends on developing a strong skills and talent pipeline, a horticulture education review report was published in 2025 under key strategic action 4 of the national strategy.

Horticulture is under enormous pressure. We are facing some of the most serious challenges we have seen in years, including increased input costs, energy costs and labour costs. We are still importing fruit and vegetables that we could grow ourselves. I live in north County Dublin, the market garden capital of Ireland. We produce approximately 47% of Ireland's field vegetables. We need to keep supporting the sector. We cannot allow it to shrink further. There are huge opportunities in horticulture; we just need to unlock them.

I know first-hand the hard work involved in growing. I picked and packed every fruit and vegetable under the sun in Rush and Lusk. Many of the 18,000 jobs the Minister of State mentioned are in my constituency in north County Dublin. If we are serious about food security, rural employment and supporting Irish growers, then we must give the horticulture sector the support it needs and deserves in order for it to survive and thrive.

The Deputy mentioned the significant challenge in relation to labour for growers, specifically relating to seasonal workers. A seasonal employment permit pilot scheme took place in 2025 for those sectors in horticulture with a seasonal need for more employees. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment carried out an evaluation of the pilot, which was published on 9 June. The recommendations in the report are to initiate a phase 2 pilot to fully test the scheme. It is recommended this pilot again be in the horticulture sector, taking into account the learnings from the initial pilot, and that it be initiated in quarter 3 2026 with a view to preparing for the 2027 season.

I welcome phase 2 of the pilot. We have a problem in that the average age of growers is probably over 60. We need targeted supports to encourage new entrants and generational renewal in the sector. Horticultural is a viable career but we need to expand the horticultural apprentice scheme and invest in our youth.

Finally, the Minister of State and I will agree that we all need to buy more Irish produce. We need to strengthen the policy on identifying Irish produce. We need better regulation of labelling. If we do this, the consumer can make more informed choice by buying Irish, supporting local growers and sustaining the industry.

The strategy to grow the horticulture sector is set out in our National Strategy for Horticulture 2023-2027. That sets out a clear vision to grow a more profitable, value-added sector, driven by innovation and sustainability, and to provide a roadmap for the sector to achieve this potential. The strategy outlines eight key strategic actions to drive change and growth across all subsectors. The strategy has had its mid-term review and was published in the final quarter of last year. Good progress has been made on the key actions.

The Deputy raised encouraging new growers into the sector. One of the strategic actions contained in the strategy focuses on education and addressing the challenges of attracting new entrants to the sector to maximise opportunities. Recent changes to eligibility requirements for young farmers in the horticulture capital support schemes have meant a great number of growers have been able to access higher rates of grant aid available to younger farmers and growers.