To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs how the Food Strategy Framework Action Plan 2025-2027 will help facilitate economic prosperity in the agri-food sector.

I am passionate about the continued success of our Agri-Food Sector. It is our largest manufacturing sector, with a gross turnover of approximately 6 billion pounds and employs an estimated 80,000 employees across agriculture and food processing. It is particularly significant to our rural and coastal economies.

My Executive colleagues and I are committed through the Food Strategy Framework Action Plan to focus our collective efforts to maximise the opportunities our food system offers. Our focus in the next two years is to build collaboration and purposeful partnerships across departments and with key stakeholders to build on the good work already underway and to identify gaps and future opportunities.

I recognise our economy needs thriving food and drinks processing, hospitality and tourism sectors. Improving productivity through high-value products and reducing inefficiencies, adopting new technology and investing more in innovation and in a highly skilled workforce will help drive competitiveness.

Attracting and keeping talent will be critical, and we must work collectively with stakeholders to deliver and promote rewarding, secure and sustainable career opportunities.

Although policy responsibility for many of these areas lies with the Department for the Economy, Mission 3, within the Action Plan sets out a number of actions we can take collectively to further develop economic prosperity.

These include a review of knowledge and skills provision for the agri-food sector, effective signposting of the ranges of support services available to food and drinks processing businesses, optimising uptake of research and development opportunities, and export sales opportunities.

I look forward to working collaboratively with my Ministerial colleagues to progress this exciting agenda.