Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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56. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the application of PGI status for boxty. [36483/24]

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Once again, I am asking for an update on the application for protected geographical indication, PGI, status for boxty. I put down this same question several times every single year throughout the lifetime of this Dáil. The original application was submitted to the Minister's Department ten years ago. We keep getting the same responses, which are a long explanation of what PGI status is and how you apply for it, but we still have not got an outcome. I am hoping for good news today.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Harkin for raising this. This is something I strongly support and PGI status would greatly enhance the capacity of boxty to grow in popularity and be understood and develop in new markets internationally. I am glad to report that my Department expects to shortly publish the PGI application for boxty as part of the national opposition procedure required under the relevant EU regulation. This opposition procedure, which is like a public consultation, will allow anyone having a legitimate interest or an established resident in Ireland to make a submission to my Department about the application. If, following that assessment or the results of any oppositions received and any consequential changes to the application agreed with the applicant producer group, my Department considers the regulatory requirements are met, it may take a favourable decision and submit the application to the European Commission. The boxty PGI application is close to reaching this publication stage. Last week I was glad to attend an event at the European Commission marquee at the National Ploughing Championships, which placed a spotlight on Ireland's registered PGI products. It was a very good exposition of how PGI can work to support products. I want to see that happen for boxty as well. I will certainly make sure that publication happens promptly. It has reached the stage where the preparatory work has been completed and facilitated and is taking that next important step.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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I thank the Minister. I am pleased to hear that, but to be honest with him, I am looking at various responses he has provided to me over the years. I will go back 12 months. The final sentence in his response to my question on this was:

My Department's scrutiny is almost complete. Once my Department is satisfied that the application is ready [it] can move to the next stage which is the national opposition procedure.

Almost a year later, the Minister is telling me that this is where we are now. I do not doubt his bone fides in this, and I do not doubt his interest or that of his Department, but things are beyond painfully slow. I organised the first meeting on this back in January 2014. Joe Lowe who was, and still is, with the LEO in Leitrim was a huge supporter. He still is. The producers have come together time and time again and yet the whole thing is just painfully slow. I really want to believe that this time we are at the final hurdle.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I understand the Deputy's frustration. I assure her I will keep ensuring every priority is given to this to get it to that point. There has been a lot of engagement with the applicant group and a lot of work on revised drafts of the application types over time. There have also been consultations on the types of ingredients for the different types of boxty included in the application for PGI status as well as the regions to be covered by the product and other technical matters associated with the European Commission regulation rules for product specification. We need to get this to the next stage so it can get moving. We have made good progress in recent years and we have taken a great step forward with PGI status for Irish grass-fed beef which has great potential. I want to see that now for boxty also. I will certainly ask my officials to keep the Deputy updated on what the date will be so we can get this moving and on the road properly.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for that. As I said, I have raised this issue many times. I have a sense, and I hope I am not wrong, that we are almost at the final hurdle. It has just taken so long but sometimes you get to a point where you can only look forward and you cannot keep looking back wondering why it has not happened before now. There is a huge level of frustration among the producers. They have attended so many meetings. They have complied with everything they have been asked to do. I hear it in what the Minister says and in his voice. I am prepared to trust him on this. I have done this before. The Minister can go back to what I have said in the House before. I have been prepared to listen and to accept he is doing his best. I genuinely believe that maybe we are there now. I will take his bone fides when he says that we are approaching the final hurdle and that within the next two weeks or less this will go to the next stage. Then we will get to the final stage with the application to Brussels.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I have a brief supplementary to support Deputy Harkin on that. I also come from County Leitrim and boxty is something we grew up with from when we were children coming home from school. There was boxty dumpling, boxty loaf and pan boxty. In many parts of country they have not even heard of it but it is a staple diet for many people in that part of the world. It is a tremendous and a really healthy product. Finding this PGI status for it and pushing it forward is something that should certainly be done with haste. It would be useful if the Minister pointed out what the timeframe is on this particular step. If he does go to this next step, how long is that going to take? Where are we going to be? Are we going to be back here in a year's time saying we have done stage 1 and now it is going to take another couple of years to get to stage 2? We need to see progress and a roadmap as to how we are going to get this resolved. As Deputy Harkin has said, it is ten years now since it was first mooted. We certainly do not want to see any more delay in respect of getting this sorted out.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputies Harkin and Kenny. The geographical area for the production of boxty in the context of the PGI application is Cavan, Leitrim, Sligo and Mayo. It is a great product. You do not see it in enough counties. It also has great potential particularly in terms of its health and nutrition benefits in the current context where people are looking for products that are not as processed and which have good benefits. It has great potential to grow and the PGI status is something which could really assist with that. At the moment, there is one final legal question arising on which my officials are waiting advice. As soon as that is resolved, the publication can then proceed. After the national opposition procedure has been published and completed, an assessment of the results of any oppositions received will be checked by the Department. Following on from that, an application will be made to the European Commission which will carry out its scrutiny and may consult the Department on matters arising from that. Then if the Commission is satisfied that the regulation requirements have been met, it will publish the application for a third-country member state opposition procedure outside of the country for members to contribute. If, after that process, any matters arising have been addressed, the Commission may proceed then to register the name "boxty" with a PGI.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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How long does that take?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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It is hard-----

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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A year? Five years?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Less than that.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Less than that if the legal matter is sorted.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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If we look back from the point where we made the application for the grass-fed beef PGI, from memory it was probably 18 months to two years from the point of application to the third-country opposition procedure to it getting final approval. It was about that scale of time. It is hard to be precise on it but those are the steps which have to be gone through.