evidence: Michael Bell from the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) made a similar remark, in his testimony to the EU Environment Subcommittee at the House of Commons on 24 June 2020: "… Northern Ireland feeds a fair amount of Great Britain (output is the equivalent of 10 million meals)" and "… Northern Ireland feeds the equivalent of 10m people." [...] DAERA officials estimated that in 2019, the Northern Ireland agricultural sector produced an estimated 182,000 tons of edible protein that would meet the needs of the equivalent of 10m people. They used NISRA’s Statistical Review of Northern Ireland Agriculture 2019, which reports on physical output rather than the finances of consumption. [...] The statements made about Northern Ireland food production in 2020 and 2021 were made in response to public concern about local food supply chains during the pandemic. While DAERA officials calculated that the Northern Ireland agricultural sector produced enough protein to meet the needs of 10m adults, this is not the whole nutritional story. An alternative dietary energy approach suggests that Northern Ireland agriculture produces the estimated energy needs of 4.7m adults, which is still greater than the estimated population of 1.9m people in Northern Ireland (mid-2019).