Written Answers Nos. 557-572
557. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which live exports to Turkey have performed since his visit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31849/18]
View answerLive exports play a vital role in Ireland's livestock industry by stimulating price competition and providing an alternative market outlet for farmers.
Earlier this year I led a trade mission to Turkey, focussing on live exports. Ireland exported 30,000 cattle to Turkey last year, around 6% of their total import requirement. The trade delegation included the Irish live cattle export industry. I met key stakeholders involved in the Turkish livestock sector. Live cattle exports were central to our wide-ranging discussion. Exports of cattle to Turkey from January to June this year came to nearly 8,000 head.
The Turkish market for the importation of cattle for fattening was opened to private buyers in early June. It is anticipated this will allow more flexibility in the choice of cattle for export and will include an all year-round supply. The import of cattle for breeding and for immediate slaughter remains under the control of the State authorities.
My Department has invited the Turkish Ministry for Agriculture to send a delegation to visit Ireland to further enhance bilateral ties between our Ministries and a better mutual understanding of our control systems.
My Department will continue to promote and maintain an environment in which live exports can continue in both an economic and sustainable manner, and with full regard to animal welfare.
558. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the number of sheep for the nine tenants in Saula, Achill, County Mayo can be reduced from 343 to 220 for the commonage area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31852/18]
View answerThe conservation and sustainable management of commonages is a key aim of the Green, Low-carbon, Agri-environment Scheme (GLAS). Commonages are categorised as a Priority Environmental Assets (PEAs) under the Scheme.
The Commonage Management Plan, as drawn up by a qualified and trained Agricultural Advisor, is central to ensuring that the desired outputs are delivered by GLAS in terms of commonage lands. The plan sets out defined stocking levels and activities for participant farmer(s). The plan must be based on a comprehensive site assessment, complemented by other pertinent data such as livestock numbers and types of habitat.
A Scientific Assessment is required if the Advisor wants to change the stocking density on the commonage based on a professional assessment and a scientific basis. The GLAS CMP online system facilitates the submission of such scientific assessments.
559. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an appeal has been received from a person (details supplied); when a decision will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31854/18]
View answerAn appeal in relation to the named individual in relation to their Sheep Welfare Reference Number was received by my Department on the 29th of November 2017. On foot of this appeal, the reference number was subsequently increased and this was communicated in a letter to the applicant on the 20th of December 2017.
An additional appeal was received by my Department on the 2nd of July 2018 in relation to the late submission of a 2017 Sheep Census. This appeal will be examined by the Department and the applicant will be informed of the outcome of this appeal once this process is completed.
560. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the appeal and review of a GLAS payment in the case of a person (details supplied); if the request for reimbursement can be held until the outcome of the appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31897/18]
View answerAn inspection took place at the above named person's holding on May 4th 2018 and issues were identified with the Protection of Watercourses from Bovines action. This was communicated to the herd owner by letter of May 29th.
A request for a review of the decision made has been received by the Department and is currently under consideration. The person named will be informed directly in writing of the outcome of this review.
561. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an inspection of a fur farm (details supplied) can be organised to check on the welfare of the minks. [31914/18]
View answerMy Department has statutory responsibility for the welfare and protection of farmed animals under the European Communities (Welfare of Farmed Animals) Regulations, 2010(Statutory Instrument No 311/2010) and the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. Irish fur farmers are subject to the same animal welfare legislation as any other livestock farmer.
There has been an unannounced inspection carried out this summer on one of the three Irish mink farms and no issues were raised. My Department will continue to carry out inspections both planned and unplanned on the facilities in question. The premises in question will be inspected in the normal course.
562. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the planting targets per hectare for categories (details supplied) in 2017 and 2018 for the Forestry Programme 2014-2020; the actual number of hectares planted in 2017 and to date in 2018 for these categories; and the number of hectares planted out of each annual target set on a percentage basis in tabular form. [31973/18]
View answerWhile targets are set for planting Native Woodland, Agroforestry, and Forestry for fibre, planting targets are not set for the other Grant and Premium Categories (GPC) 1 to 8 inclusive. The relevant data is provided below in tabular form as requested.
|
Forestry |
GPC Category |
2017 Target Hectares |
2017 Hectares Planted |
% of 2017 Target |
GPC Category |
2018* Target Hectares |
2018* Hectares Planted |
% of 2018 Target |
|
Afforestation |
GPC 1 to 8 |
6,165 |
5,265 |
85% |
GPC 1 to 8 |
6,215 |
1,818 |
29% |
|
Native Woodland Establishment |
GPC 9 & 10 |
450 |
266 |
59% |
GPC 9 & 10 |
450 |
118 |
26% |
|
Agro-Forestry |
GPC 11 |
25 |
5 |
5% |
GPC 11 |
40 |
0 |
0% |
|
Forestry For Fibre |
GPC 12a/12b |
500 |
0 |
0% |
GPC 12a/12b |
500 |
0 |
0% |
*2018 figures are to 30th June.
563. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount allocated and expended, respectively on forestry schemes in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [31974/18]
View answerThe current Afforestation Scheme provides a range of grants that cover the full cost of establishment of the plantation and payment of annual premiums to both incentivise planting and to compensate for the loss of agricultural activity on the land that is planted. The Afforestation Scheme is voluntary and demand-led. Financial support for the 2014-2020 Forestry Programme is 100% Exchequer funded under EU State Aid rules.
Forestry Support Schemes include funding for, inter alia, Forest Road Works, Reconstitution, Woodland Improvement Scheme along with COFORD, the Forest Service Inspectorate and Promotion.
The information requested is outlined in the table below:
|
Year |
Afforestation Schemes Allocation €m |
Afforestation Schemes Expenditure €m |
Support Schemes Allocation €m |
Support Schemes Expenditure €m |
|
2014 |
105.07 |
102.51 |
4.70 |
5.58 |
|
2015 |
103.56 |
98.70 |
6.00 |
3.99 |
|
2016 |
102.30 |
97.79 |
9.38 |
4.23 |
|
2017 |
98.50 |
93.63 |
10.55 |
5.88 |
|
January to week-ending 6th July 2018 |
91.49 |
72.51 |
11.51 |
2.55 |
The expenditure on Support Schemes in 2014 exceeded the allocation, payments due under other forestry schemes were facilitated by the transfer of unspent amounts.
564. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the planting targets in hectares in each of the years 2010 to 2018, in tabular form; the number of hectares planted in each year and to date in 2018; the number of hectares planted out of each annual target set on a percentage basis; and the targets for 2019 and 2020. [31975/18]
View answerTable.
|
Year |
Target (ha) |
Actually Planted (ha) |
% of the target |
|
2010 |
7,000 |
8,314 |
119% of 7,000ha |
|
2011 |
7,000 |
6,653 |
95% of 7,000ha |
|
2012 |
7,000 |
6,652 |
95% of 7,000ha |
|
2013 |
7,000 |
6,252 |
89% of 7,000ha |
|
2014 |
7,000 |
6,156 |
88% of 7,000ha |
|
2015 |
6,000 |
6,293 |
105% of 6,000ha |
|
2016 |
6,660 |
6,500 |
98% of 6,660ha |
|
2017 |
7,140 |
5,536 |
78% of 7,140ha |
|
6/07/2018 |
7,205 |
2,072 |
29% of 7,205ha |
|
2019 |
8,115 |
|
|
|
2020 |
8,290 |
|
|
565. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications received for the hen harrier scheme by county; the number of approved applications; and the number of farmers that have withdrawn from the scheme. [31976/18]
View answerThe Hen Harrier Programme has received 1,754 applications, as detailed in the table below. 1,530 of those are valid applications and 695 people have been offered contracts to date. Offers will continue to be made every month. No farmer has withdrawn from the scheme.
|
County |
Applications |
|
Limerick |
367 |
|
Clare |
333 |
|
Kerry |
303 |
|
Galway |
253 |
|
Cork |
219 |
|
Tipperary |
133 |
|
Laois |
58 |
|
Monaghan |
41 |
|
Offaly |
29 |
|
Carlow |
3 |
|
Mayo |
3 |
|
Donegal |
2 |
|
Dublin |
2 |
|
Leitrim |
2 |
|
Waterford |
2 |
|
Kilkenny |
1 |
|
Roscommon |
1 |
|
Sligo |
1 |
|
Wicklow |
1 |
|
Total: |
1754 |
566. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on proposals by a farming organisation (details supplied). [31978/18]
View answerThe new legislative proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy 2021 - 2027 were launched on Friday 1 June 2018 by Commissioner Hogan. The Commission proposals, as drafted, involve significant changes, including in relation to governance, the distribution of direct payments among farmers and the environmental conditionality attaching to such payments.
They provide for additional discretion for Member States in configuring the measures available, within parameters laid down in the draft proposals. The new Commission proposals commit to a more significant environmental ambition than the current CAP schemes, including in pillar I, where an eco measure, which would be mandatory for member states, but voluntary for farmers, is provided for.
The proposals also preserve the basic architecture of the current CAP. They allow Member States to consider options to support farmers in Areas of Natural Constraint, those who adopt environmental or climate friendly actions, collaborative actions such as farm partnerships, young farmers taking over holdings for the first time, on farm investments, risk management tools and knowledge exchange and information.
The new CAP proposals have only just been announced and the final shape of the Regulations will not be apparent for some time. We are now at the beginning of what will be intensive and challenging negotiations on the final shape of these draft Regulations. I intend to work with the Commission, other Member States and stakeholders to shape these proposals into an effective new CAP. My Department is still analysing the proposals and their potential implications for the Irish agrifood sector.
I have always sought to have a broad consultation on these proposals. Earlier in the year my Department engaged in a national consultation involving six meetings with stakeholders across the country. In addition, on 4th of July, I hosted a Conference on the new CAP legislative proposals for interested stakeholders, including farm bodies, state agencies and the environmental pillar. The Deputy, along with other Members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture Food and the Marine, was invited to participate in this Conference.
This was a timely opportunity to bring all interested stakeholders together for a constructive discussion on the future CAP. The range of speakers came from the political sphere, from the European Commission, and from my Department. The conference was a very useful opportunity to hear the views of the many stakeholders involved.
Over the coming months there will be detailed negotiations at all levels across the EU as we work together to shape the final outcome. At the centre of all our considerations will be the need to ensure that CAP Post 2020, properly funded, will continue to support farm families and the rural economy.
The current draft proposals must first be agreed at EU Council level. Whenever the agreed final EU Council position on the CAP proposals is reached, the proposals will then be discussed at trilogues involving the EU Commission, the European Parliament and the EU Council.
These processes must all be worked through and concluded before a final text can be agreed. I will be working with my colleagues in Europe to ensure that the final CAP regulations can support farm families in the many challenges they face.
I understand that the draft Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan is nearing completion by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and is currently being refined in consultation with Departmental stakeholders. The draft was circulated to the Consultative Committee and observations from members of the Committee were sought. Committee members requested a period in which to make observations, and the final observations were received last week. DCHG will review those observations and meet with the Committee as soon as practical and the plan will then go to public consultation.
For my part, I will continue to consult with stakeholders as the negotiation process for the new CAP proceeds, having regard to the need to deliver on national strategic priorities and to make the most effective use of the funds available. However, we are not yet at the scheme design stage for the post 2020 CAP.
567. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the funding provided towards capital projects in counties Meath and Louth in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018, by project name, location and cost in tabular form. [31982/18]
View answerMy Department has provided funding towards capital projects in counties Meath and Louth for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 as outlined in the attached table.
2016
|
County Louth |
Project Name |
Location |
Amount of funding provided € |
|
Organic Capital Investment Scheme |
3,000 |
||
|
Dairy Equipment |
Various locations in the county |
35,000 |
|
|
Farm Safety |
Various locations in the county |
23,000 |
|
|
Sheep Handling |
Various locations in the county |
18,000 |
|
|
Buoy Replacement |
Clogherhead Harbour |
5,510 |
|
|
Repairs to Pier Wall |
Carlingford Pier |
15,492 |
|
|
Additional power point at Inner Harbour |
Clogherhead Harbour |
5,939 |
|
|
Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector |
Various locations in the county |
135,081 |
|
|
Mart Modernisation Scheme |
Adree |
1,644 |
|
|
Forestry - Afforestation |
399,708 |
||
|
Forestry -Reconstitution |
1,378 |
||
|
Forestry – Forest Roads |
16,664 |
||
|
County Meath |
Project Name |
Location |
Amount of funding provided € |
|
Animal Welfare |
2,000 |
||
|
Dairy Equipment Tams 2 |
Various locations in the county |
39,000 |
|
|
Young Farmer Capital Investment |
17,000 |
||
|
Dairy Equipment TAMS 1 |
Various locations in the county |
102,000 |
|
|
Farm Safety |
Various locations in the county |
69,000 |
|
|
Sheep Handling |
Various locations in the county |
70,000 |
|
|
Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector |
Various locations in the county |
199,159 |
|
|
Scheme of Grant Aid for Development of Organic Sector |
Meath |
4,176 |
|
|
Mart Modernisation Scheme |
Trim |
2,324 |
|
|
Mart Modernisation Scheme |
Kells |
2,324 |
|
|
Forestry - Afforestation |
1,932,828 |
||
|
Forestry -Reconstitution |
27,251 |
||
|
Forestry - Woodland Improvement |
53,240 |
||
|
Forestry – Forest Roads |
74,769 |
||
|
Capital Investment Programme for Beef and Sheepmeat Processing Sectors |
Navan |
939,264 |
|
|
Meath Horse Project |
Meenlagh, Carnaross |
3,023 |
2017
|
County Louth |
Project Name |
Location |
Amount of funding provided € |
|
Animal Welfare |
4,000 |
||
|
Dairy Equipment |
Various locations in the county |
222,000 |
|
|
Low Emission Spreading |
16,000 |
||
|
Organic Capital Investment Scheme |
2,000 |
||
|
Young Farmer |
Various locations in the county |
17,000 |
|
|
Repair to Revetment |
Carlingford Harbour |
17,201 |
|
|
Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector |
Various locations in the county |
170,495 |
|
|
Forestry - Afforestation |
409,046 |
||
|
Forestry -Reconstitution |
7,111 |
||
|
Forestry - Woodland Improvement |
20,000 |
||
|
County Meath |
Project Name |
Location |
Amount of funding provided € |
|
Animal Welfare |
Various locations in the county |
54,000 |
|
|
Dairy Equipment |
Various locations in the county |
390,000 |
|
|
Low Emission Spreading |
Various locations in the county |
85,000 |
|
|
Organic |
3,000 |
||
|
Young Farmer Scheme |
Various locations in the county |
231,000 |
|
|
TCIS |
Various locations in the county |
37,000 |
|
|
Farm Safety |
3,000 |
||
|
Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial horticulture Sector |
Various locations in the county |
707,896 |
|
|
TAMS Organic Capital Investment Scheme |
Meath |
4941 |
|
|
Traditional Farm Buildings |
Meath |
25000 |
|
|
Forestry - Afforestation |
2,111,296 |
||
|
Forestry -Reconstitution |
48,736 |
||
|
Forestry - Woodland Improvement |
9,143 |
||
|
Forestry – Forest Roads |
68,938 |
2018 to date
|
County Louth |
Project Name |
Location |
Amount of funding provided € |
|
Animal Welfare |
Various locations in the county |
15,000 |
|
|
Dairy Equipment |
Various locations in the county |
149,000 |
|
|
Pigs and Poultry |
32,000 |
||
|
Young Farmer |
Various locations in the county |
264,000 |
|
|
Tillage Scheme |
Various locations in the county |
127,000 |
|
|
Forestry - Afforestation |
234,603 |
||
|
Forestry - Woodland Improvement |
880 |
||
|
County Meath |
Project Name |
Location |
Amount of funding provided € |
|
Animal Welfare |
Various locations in the county |
99,000 |
|
|
Dairy Equipment |
Various locations in the county |
281,000 |
|
|
Low Emission Spreading |
Various locations in the county |
80,000 |
|
|
Organic Scheme |
3,000 |
||
|
Young Farmer |
Various locations in the county |
469,000 |
|
|
Tillage Scheme |
Various locations in the county |
364,000 |
|
|
Forestry - Afforestation |
1,558,350 |
||
|
Forestry -Reconstitution |
12,253 |
||
|
Forestry - Woodland Improvement |
7,185 |
||
|
Forestry – Forest Roads |
7,200 |
568. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the applications submitted for funding and projects from Meath and Louth County Councils in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018 for projects decided upon or in progress in tabular form. [31998/18]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is supplied in the attached table.
2016
|
Applications submitted for funding and projects from Louth/Meath County Council |
Decided upon |
|
Louth |
|
|
Control of Horses Funding |
Y |
|
Clogherhead Harbour |
Y |
|
Carlingford Pier |
Y |
|
Clogherhead Pier |
Y |
|
Meath |
|
|
Control of Horses Funding |
Y |
2017
|
Applications submitted for funding and projects from Louth /Meath County Council |
Decided upon |
|
Louth |
|
|
Control of Horses Funding |
Y |
|
Carlingford Harbour |
Y |
|
Meath |
|
|
Control of Horses Funding |
Y |
2018
|
Applications submitted for funding and projects from Louth /Meath County Council |
Decided upon |
|
Louth |
|
|
Control of Horses Funding |
Y |
|
Carlingford Harbour |
Y |
|
Annagassan Harbour |
Y |
|
Carlingford Harbour |
Y |
|
Meath |
|
|
Control of Horses Funding |
Y |
569. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which the Dairy Sustainability Ireland initiative will work with the sustainability support and advisory programme; the number of advisers employed in the Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme; and the allocated budget for each year of the programme. [32150/18]
View answerThe Dairy Sustainability Ireland (DSI) initiative will complement the work undertaken in the sustainability support and advisory programme.
As part of the DSI initiative, a pilot programme comprising of six of the biggest dairy processors – Aurivo, Carbery, Dairygold, Glanbia, Kerry and Lakeland has been launched.
The programme involves 180 of their milk suppliers, who are following the initiative’s advice on targeted fertiliser application and water course protection.
The Agricultural Support & Advisory Programme (ASSAP) is an innovative Government/ industry collaborative initiative which will run from 2018 -2021. It is a new approach to achieving improvements in water quality and wider sustainability by providing free agricultural sustainability advice from dedicated sustainability advisors to farmers operating in 190 selected ‘Areas for Action’. This four year programme supports the goals of the Food Wise 2025 strategy, facilitating increased productivity hand-in-hand with a more sustainable sector.
The sustainability and efficiency gains will be achieved through three main areas of focus on farm, namely improved nutrient management with more targeted use of slurry and fertiliser, better farmyard management practice and new approaches to land management to reduce nutrient losses in critical source areas.
The ASSAP involves a resource of 30 Agricultural Sustainability Advisors. 20 Advisors are being jointly funded by my Department and the Department of Housing, Planning & Local Govt (DHPLG). The Government funded advisors are being managed by Teagasc’s environmental unit. A further 10 Advisors are being funded by the Dairy Industry, working within the Dairy Processing structures. All Advisors will receive comprehensive training to ensure a unified and consistent approach under the new programme.
Projected expenditure details for the 20 Sustainability Advisers and 3 Overhead Personnel, being financed by my Department and DHPLG, are as follows:
|
|
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
Total Annual Cost € |
816,944 |
1,686,207 |
1,741,284 |
1,868,844 |
570. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of research being carried out on grasslands as carbon sinks. [32151/18]
View answerMy Department recognises the importance of soil carbon and its contribution to the global challenge set by the Paris agreement to limit warming to 2 degrees above pre industrial levels and to pursue limiting warming to less than 1.5 degrees. Scientific research has a central role to play in developing our understanding of the carbon sequestration potential of our natural land resources. To this end, my Department recognises the important role Soil Organic Carbon can play in improving our understanding of the role the land use sector plays in mitigating greenhouse gases and ensuring the environmental integrity of the access to Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) credits provided in the EU regulations agreed in June 2018.
Research by Teagasc and the EPA has highlighted that grasslands play a key role in the provision and regulation of important ecosystem services. From a climate change perspective grassland soils have the ability to sequester atmospheric CO2, thus potentially contributing to climate change mitigation.
In the Teagasc report An Analysis of Abatement Potential of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Irish Agriculture 2021-2030 published this year it was found that, with regard to particular individual mitigation measures, better management of grassland could potentially sequester carbon.
Research projects related to the topic of grasslands as carbon sinks under the National Call and which are funded by my Department are listed below:
|
Call |
Short Title |
Full Title |
|
DAFM* National Call 2017 |
AGRI-SOC |
Evaluating Land-Use and Land Management Impacts on Soil organic Carbon in Irish Agricultural Systems |
|
ERAGAS – ERANET^ Call 2016 |
GHG-Manage |
Managing and Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and carbon Sequestration in Different Landscape Mosaics |
|
ERAGAS - ERANET Call 2016 |
MAGGE-pH |
Mitigating Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions by improved pH management of soils |
|
DAFM* National Call 2011 |
Soggyland |
Improving the productivity of heavy wet grassland for delivery of Food Harvest 2020 |
|
DAFM* National Call 2010 |
AGhgRI-I |
Gaseous Emissions - Agriculture and Land Use Network |
*Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
^ European Research Network on GHG Mitigation and Monitoring - European Research Network
While the Department has invested heavily in recent years in research to better understand the role of grassland as carbon sinks, I am very conscious that ongoing funding is need to deepen our understanding of the complex science in this area and that this can be optimally done through international collaboration. Therefore my Department’s more recent investments in soil carbon have mandated international collaboration as a condition of funding.
This week I have announced details of a €600,000 grant of a new Agro-Soc project arising from DAFM’s 2017 Research Call. The project, which is being co-funded by the EPA, plans on examining carbon sequestration mitigation options that do not adversely impact on agricultural production. Improved soil carbon should lead to better nutrient cycling and soil nutrient availability. Management practices that can increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks to mitigate climate change will provide the basis for inclusion of grassland soils into both carbon trading schemes and life-cycle assessments (LCA), which will assist the sector both in terms of carbon credits and a reduced carbon footprint on agricultural produce. This project seeks to quantify carbon sequestration within managed grasslands, to identify the upper limits of soil carbon storage and identifying the regulators within a pastoral system that control soil carbon capture. As such it will directly address the 4 per mile initiative to enhance carbon stocks and improve soil quality in agricultural soils.
My Department required that this work will be undertaken in cooperation and coordination with the EU Joint Programming Initiative on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change’s (FACCE JPI) ‘Thematic Annual Programming on organic matter sequestration in the soil’ (TAP-Soil) initiative to maximise international synergies. Similarly, in 2017, DAFM provided almost €500,000 in funding to enable Irish researchers collaborate with international partners in two relevant soil carbon sequestration themed projects funded under the ERA-GAS on greenhouse gas (GHG) Mitigation and Monitoring.
Research continues to be carried out and my Department will monitor the outcomes of relevant research in this area as it arises.
571. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the latest data regarding UK imports of dairy product. [32152/18]
View answerThe United Kingdom including Northern Ireland represents Ireland’s biggest dairy export market, accounting for approx €990 million of exports in the dairy sector in 2017. The following data is based on CSO data, with estimates for 2018 available to April.
|
Destination |
2017 (€ 000) |
2017 (Tonnes) |
Jan-Apr 2018 (€ 000) |
Jan-Apr 2018 (Tonnes) |
|
Great Britain |
€905,002 |
266,815 |
€272,410 |
83,036 |
|
Northern Ireland |
€91,567 |
114,972 |
€30,545 |
36,574 |
|
UK Total |
€996,569 |
381,787 |
€302,955 |
119,610 |
572. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions taken since EU free trade agreements were finalised with Mexico and Japan. [32153/18]
View answerAs an open economy, Ireland is generally supportive of such free trade agreements between the EU and other trading blocs, and strives to ensure that they reflect our economic and trade interests. The recently agreed FTAs with Mexico and Japan have been very positive in this regard, in that they provide significant potential for future trade, including for the agri-food sector.
The agreement with Mexico on 21 April 2018 provides for very significant access to the Mexican market for EU agri-food products, particularly for dairy, pigmeat and poultry. Mexico has a population of 127 million, making it the eleventh-largest country in the world in population terms and the fifteenth-largest economy in the world, with projections that it will move into the top five by 2050.
The discussions are now focused on completing the technical details of the agreement and negotiators expect to have a final text in late 2018 before starting the legal revision of the text. The Commission has stated that fine tuning is still going on, and it is addressing issues that will benefit Member States and industry.
On 8 December 2017 the EU and Japan finalised the Economic Partnership Agreement. After legal scrubbing and translation into all EU official languages this agreement was submitted for the approval of EU Member States on 18 April 2018.
This step marked the beginning of the ratification process at the EU level, and was the first step towards the signature and conclusion of the agreement. The EU and Japan are expected to sign the agreement at this week's EU-Japan summit, and are aiming for its entry into force before the end of the current mandate of the European Commission in 2019.
This agreement also represents a major boost for the EU agri-food sector, with considerable additional market access provided for beef, pigmeat and dairy products, particularly cheese. Japan is already Ireland’s third most import trade destination in Asia, with €94m worth of agri-food produce exported there in 2017, which was a large increase on the €56m worth of product exported in 2016. The main driver behind this increase is pigmeat (€26m worth exported in 2017 compared to €14m worth in 2016). In fact, Japan is the sixth most important destination for Irish pig meat globally. Other notable areas are dairy produce (€30m worth exported in 2017 compared with €15m worth in 2016) and fish (€15m).
I led trade missions to both Mexico and Japan recently. This was a very opportune time to bring a delegation of Ireland’s food leaders to both countries, given the recently concluded agreements. It was important to raise the profile of Irish agri-food enterprises that already have access to these markets, and make progress in negotiating access for others.
The destinations were also consistent with the recent market profiling exercise that was completed by Bord Bia at my request. This exercise identified opportunities in new and more mature markets. It will provide valuable market intelligence both for industry operators and policy makers in our continuing efforts to develop market opportunities for Irish exporters.
