Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 October 2018
148. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps being taken to ensure the all-island animal health and welfare strategy is maintained in a hard Brexit scenario; and the status of discussions he has had with authorities in the UK and Northern Ireland in this regard. [41663/18]
View answerBrexit has the potential to have a significant impact on the whole of the agriculture industry throughout Ireland.
However, the Government, in the first instance, is seeking to minimise the impact of Brexit through a negotiated outcome which permits a trading arrangement post-Brexit that is as close as possible to that prevailing currently. That is what Ireland wants from the negotiations, and it is also what the EU wants.
In this regard, the UK commitment, in the Joint EU-UK Report of last December, to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, was extremely important. The aim is to continue with the relatively free movement of agricultural goods/animals on the island of Ireland.
Ensuring that the UK gives effect to this commitment is a significant focus of the Irish Government, and we have the full support of our EU partners and of the European Commission Task Force in this regard. I and my Department have been contributing actively to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade coordinated ‘whole of government’ approach to ensure such an outcome emanates from the negotiations.
There is ongoing, close co-operation between my Department and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, including through dedicated working groups established as part of the All-Island Animal Health and Welfare Strategy Action Plan by the North/South Ministerial Council. The working groups focus on critical issues such as disease control, animal identification and movement, cross-border communication, data sharing and the development of joint initiatives on animal welfare.
I have hosted a number of all-island civic dialogue events to discuss the implications of Brexit across the agri-food sector. These events provided important opportunities to engage directly in detail with stakeholders on the implications of Brexit and the potential responses that will be required as the negotiations unfold. The need to maintain an all-island approach to animal health/disease issues was discussed.
I wish to assure the Deputy that the Government remains very focused on supporting the agriculture industry through the challenges ahead. The Government will be firm in arguing that any agreement reached between the EU and the UK must take account of the very serious challenges presented by Brexit for the sector, particularly given the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland and the importance of our economic relationship with the UK.
And, of course, ultimately Ireland's objective in the negotiations is to have a trading relationship with the entire UK which is as close as possible to the current arrangement.
