Gay Mitchell
Question:1 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has raised the boycott of the export of Irish beef to Britain with his British counterpart. [22508/97]
Ceisteanna — Questions. Priority Questions. - Boycott of Irish Beef in Britain.
I raised the question of the illegal blockade of Irish goods at British ports with the British Foreign Secretary when I met with him in Brussels on Monday, 8 December. I expressed the Government's deep concern over the serious impact of the blockade on Ireland's agricultural exports to Britain and the Continent. I pointed out that the Irish farming community was experiencing considerable difficulties and pressures on their incomes and could ill afford the additional problems being visited on them by a dispute which has nothing to do with Ireland. The Foreign Secretary indicated that the British Government was also very concerned about the matter and was anxious to ensure that the transport routes were kept open. This was very much in keeping with the response received by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Agriculture and Food in discussions they had with their respective British counterparts.
The Irish Embassy in London has been in constant close contact with the British Government and police authorities from the outset. I understand from reports the Embassy received in recent days that the situation at the ports has eased since Monday and, while small numbers of protesters remain at Holyhead and Fishguard, all Irish trucks have been getting through to their destinations.
I welcome in particular the action taken by the police in Liverpool on Tuesday night to ensure free passage to Irish trucks despite the presence of a large protest. I welcome also the fact that the British farmers' unions are pursuing their grievances by dialogue with the British Government and I hope these discussions will lead to an early and lasting return to normality which will allow our trade with Britain and the rest of the Single Market to continue unimpeded.
The threat to the integrity of the Single Market from illegal actions taken by individuals in furtherance of disputes is a matter which the Government takes most seriously, and we are prepared to take all necessary action to defend our interests in this regard, including, if necessary, legal action at EU level. In this connection the House will wish to be aware that the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment wrote formally to the Internal Market Commissioner, Professor Mario Monti, on 3 December, drawing attention to the negative impact which the British farmers' protest was having on the functioning of the Internal Market, and calling on the Commission to take all possible steps to insist that the core rules of the Internal Market are respected by all member states. The Government will carefully monitor the action taken by the Commission in response to this complaint. I am confident the Commission will take effective action to protect the working of the Single Market, and that it will not prove necessary for the Irish Government to initiate its own legal proceedings in the European Court of Justice. However, I wish to make it clear that in a matter of such importance to Ireland's vital interests, the Government would not wish to rule out any option at this stage.
The House will also wish to know that the Minister for Agriculture and Food has written to Commissioner Fischler about this matter and that at Minister Walsh's request, the matter will be discussed at next week's meeting of the Council of Agriculture Ministers. I can also tell the House that my colleague, the Minister for Public Enterprise, will raise the disruption caused by the British farmers' action at today's meeting of the Council of Transport Ministers with a view to the adoption of measures to prevent future similar disruptive action.
Will the Minister agree that the Irish economy is the sixth biggest market for British goods, taking more than Japan and South America together, totalling £8 billion in the year 1996, that trade disruption of this kind does not benefit either side, and that far from this being a question of people having access to the Queen's highway, it is a matter of people having access to the European Single Market where we have a right to sell our goods? Will the Minister ensure that rather than talking about legal proceedings which will take a very long time, there is an early warning system in place in his Department which will allow him apply pressure at the appropriate level when this sort of problem arises again? We are very vulnerable as an island economy. We have had problems in France. They have seen in Britain how France got away with treating Irish and other exporters and they are following suit. Political action must be taken to ensure that other countries do not see this as a precedent to be followed, and that can only happen if the political response from us and our colleagues is strong enough to ensure that the countries behaving in this way learn a lesson.
I strongly support the views expressed by the Deputy. It is quite appropriate in the circumstances that, in the case of the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister in particular, every reasonable and known diplomatic channel be used in the context of bringing this serious episode to a conclusion to the benefit of those people who are most seriously affected by it, namely, the Irish truckers carrying meat either to Britain or, by way of access across Britain, to the European mainland.
As far as an early warning system is concerned, I accept there should be in place a process whereby matters of this nature can be anticipated by being in close contact with, for example, the farming organisations. I would like to think that out of this terrible situation an early warning system will be put in place as a matter of pro forma and that it will not happen again.
Much was done by the Irish Government to bring the episode to a conclusion. The Ambassador in Britain raised the matter as did the Taoiseach in a telephone conversation with the British Prime Minister. I raised it with the British Foreign Secretary on 8 December. The Minister for Public Enterprise intends to raise the matter at the Transport Council today. At his meeting with Prime Minister Juncker on 8 December, the Taoiseach indicated that he wishes to raise the matter at the European Council if it is not resolved by the time of its next meeting.
It is interesting to note also that on 9 December, the European Court of Justice issued a judgment in favour of the Commission, supported by the Spanish and British Governments, by finding that the French Government had failed to fulfil its obligations under Article 30 of the EC Treaty in not preventing private individuals blocking the free movement of fruit and vegetables from Spain in August 1995. The Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Kitt, will write immediately to Commissioner Monti to bring this judgment to his attention.
Question No. 2.
I asked only one supplementary, a Cheann Comhairle.
I ask the Deputy to be brief.
We must not be so laid back in dealing with this issue. I want to ask the Minister two questions. First, has he raised with his counterpart the proposals of the British Government to compensate Irish exporters for loss of income? Second, will the Minister confirm, irrespective of whether the matter is resolved or is raised at the European Council meeting, that he and the Taoiseach will raise it bilaterally with Prime Minister Blair and the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Cook, at the European Council meeting this weekend?
I hope that as a result of the action taken by the various Ministers and Government agencies this matter may have resolved itself by the weekend. In deference to the Deputy, if that is what he wishes and requires, I will address the issue again with my colleague, the British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook. The Taoiseach indicated that if the matter is not resolved he has sought the permission of the Grand Council Presidency to raise the matter over the next day or two.