Enterprise, Trade and Investment

Part of Oral Answers to Questions – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:15 pm on 19 March 2013.

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Photo of Arlene Foster Arlene Foster DUP 2:15, 19 March 2013

I thank the Member for his question and for all that he does for the food industry in Northern Ireland on a very personal level. 

As I said, the traceability controls in our agrifood supply chain are very strong.  They emphasise the benefits to consumers and businesses of purchasing local produce.  I welcome Tesco's announcement last week that it plans to double the amount of fresh meat that it sources in Northern Ireland.  It is an important commitment by Tesco, and hopefully other retailers will follow so that profitability will flow down to farmers and have a positive knock-on impact on our agrifood sector, which is also important.