Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 June 2023
471. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the measures his Department has taken to implement the recommendation of the final report of the beef taskforce that the Irish Government should seek the invocation by the EU of the World Trade Organisation's safeguard clause to reduce the level of beef imports from third countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29139/23]
View answerAccording to bovine trade statistics published by the European Union for the period 2018 to 2022, approximately 877,000 metric tonnes of product (in carcase weight equivalent) was exported from the EU annually. By contrast, import volumes amounted to approximately 399,000 tonnes annually, or 45 percent of export volumes, during the same period.
This data, which can be accessed at Agri-food data portal | Agricultural markets (europa.eu), shows that the EU is a significant net beneficiary of global trade flows in beef and other products for which the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is the international standard-setting body.
Regarding the volume of beef imported into the Irish market, I understand that the trade figures for 2022 and 2023 are currently subject to revision by the CSO and that amended datasets will be published later this week.
The conditions governing the importation of goods and services to the EU, including Ireland, are determined by EU law and the terms and conditions of international trade agreements between the EU and third countries, made on the basis of a rules-based trading order.
As a sector dependent almost entirely on export markets, the Irish agri-food sector, and in particular the beef sector, is a significant beneficiary of the European single market and rules-based international trading arrangements administered through the WTO.
For this reason, Ireland is broadly supportive of the framework that governs international trade, but prioritises a balanced approach in negotiations on new free trade agreements; an approach which seeks to take into account sensitive sectors of EU economy and that sustainability issues are addressed.
It is not open to Ireland to unilaterally establish conditions for the importation of goods and services, nor would it be in the best interests of the agri-food sector to do so.
The WTO Agreement on Agriculture includes provisions for a safeguard measure. The activation of this measure by WTO members is subject to very specific criteria for triggering such provisions. If the trigger requirements for the mechanism are met at EU level, it would require further consideration of such a request at EU level.
