Consultation now open for county Carlow's first Food and Drink Industry Strategy
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Carlow County Council in association with agency and industry partners have announced the commencement of consultation for the first County Carlow – Food & Drink Industry Strategy.
Partners in the project include Institute of Technology Carlow, County Carlow Chamber, Carlow Tourism, Carlow Local Community & Development Committee & Carlow County Development Partnersship and Industry representatives who will work together to develop a blueprint for supporting County Carlow's Food & Drink Sector.
The strategy which is funded by Enterprise Ireland and co-ordinated by Carlow County Council’s Local Enterprise Office aims to develop a road-map for supporting the Food & Drink Industry which in the context of Carlow is recognized as a diverse, fast moving, innovative and incredibly competitive sector in Carlow.
Speaking about the importance of the Food & Drink Industry, Kathleen Holohan, chief executive with Carlow County Council, said: "The Food & Drink Industry in County Carlow is key to the economic, community and social development of the county.
"We recognize the contribution and creativity of our food and drink sector and the many different elements of the commercial community it supports and are delighted to be working with Birnie & Associates Consulting with the support of Enterprise Ireland and our partners on this strategic roadmap for supporting the sector to further enhance the County Carlow Eco-System.
"It has been established as a County by Working in partnership, we are all best placed to lead and drive the strategy and ensure that it is innovative and dynamic and also supports the enterprise community to ensure that County Carlow can reach its full potential."
Speaking about the genesis of the project , Kieran Comerford, Head of Enterprise of Carlow County Council's Local Enterprise Office, said: "We know that County Carlow has an amazing food and drink industry story to tell and also has the potential to further develop collaborative projects which have the potential to impact the industry within the County by the creation of a Food & Drink Cluster.
"If you’re a retailer, hospitality professional, tourism experience provider, food producer, farmer, manufacturer, cultivator or gather of food we want to hear your input into this strategy."
Consultation is open until November 8 of 2019 and all companies and organisations can engage by completing a survey on https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y98FD23 or for further information contact Jim Woods on 059-9129783 or [email protected]