Agriculture Committee Chair & Vice-Chair welcome French Ambassador to Leinster House

The discussion covered a wide range of issues and challenges for the agricultural sector, with key issues discussed including:

• The impact of Brexit on the agri-food industry, particularly on beef prices and the mushroom industry.
• The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy; including the structure of direct payments, the deficit in the budget available resulting from the UK’s withdrawal, the need for Member States to increase contributions and the overall place of agriculture in the EU budget and whether Member States should co-finance CAP.
• The impact of climate change and the possible role of forestry; the impact of greenhouse gases and the importance of agriculture to Ireland.
• The possible impacts of the proposed trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur, including the quotas proposed for beef, ethanol and sugar.

Committee Chair, Pat Deering, said today, “Deputy Cahill and I were delighted to welcome His Excellency Stéphane Crouzat, to Leinster House today. Our meeting was very constructive and gave us a valuable opportunity to engage on a number of issues, including the opportunities for further cooperation between France and Ireland. Brexit and the sharp fall in sterling since the Brexit vote were to the fore of our conversation, as were trading relationships and how best to manage currency volatility and amend growth strategies to reduce dependency on the UK market.”