Stephen Donnelly
Question:560. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on the informal Council held in Estonia in the context of Brexit. [39873/17]
View answerWednesday, 20 September 2017
Questions (560)
Written answers
I attended the Informal Council which took place in Tallinn, Estonia earlier this month. Discussions at the Informal Council focused on a discussion paper circulated by the Estonian Presidency entitled “Risk Management: Empowering our farmers with effective tools to manage risks post 2020". This gave EU Agriculture Ministers the opportunity to consider how to help farmers best prepare for and manage future risks in the context of the ongoing CAP post 2020 discussions. While there was no formal opportunity for Ministers to discuss Brexit, I did avail of the opportunity to discuss its impact informally with my Ministerial counterparts.
I am fully aware that extreme market volatility is an increasing factor in managing farm enterprises, and the impact of Brexit of course plays a significant role in this regard. In addressing market volatility, including any Brexit impact, it will be important for CAP post 2020 to have a flexible toolbox to deal with issues as they arise.
I will of course continue to engage closely with the Commission and with counterparts in other Member States in relation to the potential impact of Brexit on the agri-food sector in Ireland and the EU.