JOINT COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND FOOD debate -
Wednesday, 29 Jan 2003

Vol. 1 No. 4

WTO Agriculture Document: Departmental Presentation.

Chairman

I welcome Mr. Bart Brady, Assistant Secretary General, and Mr. Tony Burke, principal officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, who are attending today to update the committee on the European Commission proposal for the WTO agriculture document which was circulated last week.

Before asking Mr. Brady to commence, I draw your attention to the fact that while members of the committee have absolute privilege, the same privilege does not apply to you. Members are again reminded of their obligation relative to privilege. I apologise to Mr. Brady for the delay.

Mr. Bart Brady

Not at all, Chairman. Thank you very much. The background is that the Commission produced this paper as the EU's contribution to this particular stage of the WTO negotiations. This stage is called the modality stage or, basically, the rules. The Doha Ministerial Declaration of November 2001, provided that the WTO should agree on modalities for the current WTO trade round by 31 March, 2003. This paper is the EU's contribution to the modalities phase of the negotiations. It was produced just before Christmas and it has been examined at numerous committees since then. When I say committee meetings I mean meetings attended by the member states and the Commission. It was finally considered and approved at the Foreign Ministers' meeting on Monday. By now I believe it has been submitted to Brussels. Those are the basic facts of the situation. I am happy to answer any questions.

Chairman

Thank you, Mr. Brady, for explaining the situation. Do members have any questions for Mr. Brady or Mr. Burke? Is everybody happy?

Deputy Carty

I note that it will not have any effect on current legislation.

Mr. Brady

This is not a legislative document in itself. The Commission claimed when it produced it that the document was in accordance with the CAP as it now stands. The examination of the document by the member states essentially bore that out. If there were a WTO settlement in the morning based on the document which we have sent to Geneva, then that in itself would not require any change or any significant change in the CAP.

Chairman

Is Deputy Carty happy? Once again I thank Mr. Brady and Mr. Burke for their attendance at short notice.

Mr. Brady

Thank you, Chairman. It is a pleasure.

Chairman

There are a few items relating to EU scrutiny which were deferred from last week. Have members any comments to make on that document which was deferred? The clerk to the committee will arrange for a report to be laid before the Houses as required under the orders of reference of this committee.

The sub-committee on EU scrutiny has recommended that no further scrutiny was necessary regarding the following proposals: European Council Directive amending Directive 88/40 EEC laid down the animal health requirements applying to intercommunity trade and imports of semen of domestic animals of the bovine species. The clerk to the committee has circulated the outline of the proposed directive. Are there any comments which members wish to make? Do members concur with the decision of the sub-committee on European scrutiny that no further scrutiny is necessary? Agreed? Agreed. The clerk will inform the sub-committee accordingly. The next meeting of the committee will hear a presentation from Dr. Patrick Wall, chief executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

The joint committee adjourned at 6.59 p.m. until 4.15 p.m. on Wednesday, 12 February 2003.