Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 February 2019
58. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has formally made a request to the European Commission under EU regulations further to an announcement (details supplied); if so, when the application was made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5724/19]
View answerThe agri-food sector is of critical importance to the Irish economy, and its regional spread means it underpins the socio-economic development of rural areas in particular. As such, Brexit has the potential to have a very significant impact on farmers and on the agri-food sector throughout Ireland.
At this stage, Ireland has not formally notified the Commission that it is seeking emergency aid for the farming sector either through EU Regulation No. 702/2014 – the Agriculture Block Exemption Regulation - or under Article 219 of (EU) Regulation No 1308/2013. However, there are on-going discussions with the Commission regarding the difficulties facing Ireland.
I and my officials have been working very hard for quite some time to sensitise other Member States and the European Commission to the potentially very severe impacts of Brexit on the Irish agri-food and fisheries sectors, and to the likelihood of specific supports being required in order to deal with these impacts. The institutions of the European Union are very well aware of the likelihood of a significant impact of a disorderly Brexit on Ireland’s economy because this has been part of the discussion from the beginning, and indeed this is explicitly recognised in the Commission’s own communication on contingency planning.
Most recently, I held a bilateral meeting with Commissioner Hogan last week to discuss the potential impact of a disorderly Brexit on the Irish agri-food and fisheries sectors. We discussed the unique exposure of these sectors to the threat of a disorderly Brexit, and the challenges that it could present. I stressed the need to be ready to deploy a range of measures to mitigate the potential impacts on farmers and processors, including through traditional market supports and exceptional aid under the CAP's Single Common Market Organisation regulation, and increased flexibility under State Aid regulations. Commissioner Hogan reiterated the EU’s readiness to respond and support Ireland, and we will remain in contact on these issues as the situation evolves.
