From vegconomist.com
The Vegan Society of Ireland (VSI) has written to Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon asking that fruit, vegetable and legume production be named as a diversification option for Irish farmers. A new national survey from the charity finds that 81% of Irish adults would like to eat more of these foods.
Four in five fruit and vegetables imported
According to the Climate Change Advisory Council’s latest Annual Review, around 83% of the fruit and vegetables consumed in Ireland are imported. The number of commercial vegetable growers has fallen from more than 600 in the 1990s to fewer than 70.
The Council warned that this dependence leaves Ireland’s food supply exposed to extreme weather and crop failures abroad. It recommended that the Department of Agriculture review the production potential of Irish horticulture. Council chairperson Alex White named forestry, carbon farming and renewable energy as options for farmers preparing for heavier rainfall, drought and heat.
“Farmers are being told to prepare for a harsher climate and to consider diversifying”
The VSI wants horticulture added to that list. It has also asked that the review examine what a farmer would need to convert land to fruit, vegetable or legume growing.
VSI Chairperson James O’Donovan stated, “Farmers are being told to prepare for a harsher climate and to consider diversifying. Forestry, carbon farming and renewable energy have been named as the options. We are asking that horticulture be named too. Just over half the public backs it.”
Image: Joao Jesus Design on Pexels
Cost cited as main barrier
Opinions Market Research surveyed 1,010 adults for the VSI in May 2026. Just over half of respondents (51%) said Ireland should make it a political priority to diversify agriculture and incentivise plant-based production, and 52% want the country to become a global leader in plant-based food.
Almost a third (32%) named cost as the main obstacle to eating more fruit, vegetables and legumes. Not knowing how to cook them followed at 28%. Poor supermarket availability was cited by 20% of respondents overall, rising to 27% among under-35s. Among financially comfortable respondents, 83% eat a lot or a moderate amount of these foods, compared with 73% of those who are not.
An earlier survey found that a third of Irish consumers were buying more meat and dairy alternatives than they had three years before.
O’Donovan continued, “Almost a third of people told us cost is what stops them. Whole plant foods are the cheapest way to eat well. Policymakers and retailers can make the healthy choice the easy choice.
“The public has already made its decision. Four in five people want more fruit, vegetables and legumes on their plate. Most of it is arriving here on a lorry or a plane. There is a gap in the Irish market here, not a lifestyle debate.”
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