asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he considers that the GATT agreements discriminate against the Irish food industry.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - GATT Agreement.
10.
I do not consider that the agreements recently negotiated in the context of the Tokyo Round of multilateral trade negotiations held under the auspices of the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) discriminate against the Irish food industry.
While, as in the case of all such negotiations, concessions were made on all sides, I and my colleagues in Government endeavoured to ensure that any concessions which the Community made in relation to products of interest to Ireland would be as limited as possible. We consider that our efforts were very successful and that the Community concessions in these areas were no more than the minimum necessary to enable the successful conclusion of the negotiations.
We also sought to ensure that the concessions which the Community obtained would be as beneficial as possible to the Irish food industry. We should benefit by access to the US market for beef and improved access for processed food products to, for example, US, Canada and Japan. In addition improved access for Community cheese to the US, Canada and Australia should contribute to the stabilisation of the Community's dairy markets—to our benefit.
More generally, increased opportunities now exist for the Community and for Irish agricultural and food industries to export to third country markets. In this regard the recognition of the Community's right to grant export refunds is an important result of the negotiations.
Is the Minister aware that one of the reasons for the milk surplus—for which we are being wrongly blamed—is the import of soya under GATT at an artificially low rate of duty to Germany and Holland from the United States, and that that is one aspect of the GATT Agreement that should be looked at in the context of seeking to bring balance and a reasonable budget to the EEC?
I thoroughly agree with the Deputy and I will certainly take note of what he says.
Are there any prospects that the Minister will be able to raise any of these or other grievances which Ireland might have in relation to the provisions of GATT at any definite future time?
I cannot give the Deputy exactly the times when the opportunities will arise, or the dates, but I can assure him that opportunities will present themselves.