Labour Party spokesperson on Agriculture & Food is calling on Brendan Smith to be more creative in looking at ways of creating jobs in the agri-food industry.

Deputy Sherlock said: "Labour recently proposed that employers creating new jobs and taking people off the live register, should be given a PRSI break. That proposal could have a very positive impact for small companies at local level in rural Ireland. A PRSI scheme should be put in place that would exempt employers from paying employer's PRSI for 18 months, where they employ a person who has been unemployed for more than 6 months, and where they demonstrate clearly that they are creating a new job.

"This measure would incentivise the creation of local jobs, and would get people back into employment in areas where it is most needed.

"We seem to be able to bend over backwards to attract foreign direct investment, and I believe we need should apply the same effort and ingenuity to supporting indigenous industry. We should never forget that the agricultural sector accounts directly for 5.2% of total employment and indirectly a further 6% in processing, marketing and services. That's a total 230,000 Irish jobs.

"We need to create a stimulus to encourage farmers to diversify into local need agriculture and horticultural produce by encouraging and fostering more farmers markets. More locally produced produce would create micro economies in rural areas and prevent the haemorrhage of local money to multi-national groups. Farmers should also be encouraged to set aside some land, which can be rented out as garden allotments,

"The government has made a point of supporting foreign companies but many of these are now leaving and taking jobs with them. Meanwhile, the Minister for Agriculture has suspended the installation aid and early retirement scheme; made cuts to the rural environmental scheme, suckler welfare scheme and disadvantaged area payment.

"There is absolute no incentive for those working in the agri-related businesses to create jobs and this is the very sector the government should be supporting, because there is real potential for major job creation going forward."