Tony Gregory
Ceist:273 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his views on the concerns raised by an organisation (details supplied) regarding the free trade rules of the World Trade Organisation. [17375/99]
Written Answers. - World Trade Negotiations.
Trevor Sargent
Ceist:274 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the plans, if any, he has to press the European Union to include a resolution on the animal welfare problem among the EU's main negotiating objectives for the World Trade Organisation's Millennium Round in view of the fact that in July 1999 the European Commission published a communication on the EU approach which made only briefest reference to animal welfare. [18504/99]
Nora Owen
Ceist:312 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will ensure that a resolution on animal welfare will be one of the EU's main objectives for the WTO Millennium Round; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17718/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 273, 274 and 312 together.
The Millennium Round of trade negotiations, scheduled to be launched at the World Trade Organisation's ministerial meeting in Seattle in November, will aim to liberalise trade, reduce tariffs, remove trade barriers and promote trade as a vehicle for sustainable economic growth. It will have as a particular focus regard for environmental protection and the needs of developing countries.
The rules-based international trading system has been gradually extended to include agricultural activities. The WTO also recognises the non-trade aspects of agriculture and the EU intends to raise during the round a range of ‘multifunctional' concerns including animal welfare.
The EU has issued a draft communication for Seattle intended as a concise statement of the broad objectives to be achieved in the new round. The communication has of necessity to treat with a wide range of subjects, recognising that during the three year time-frame envisaged for negotiations much greater detail on particular areas will emerge.
As the negotiations progress I intend to work closely with my ministerial colleagues at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, who will be representing Ireland at the impending ministerial meeting on the round.
I am aware of the concerns of Compassion in World Farming. The position is that the Council of Ministers for Agriculture recently resolved as follows: "that the Council and the Commission, stressing the need to ensure equal conditions of competition between European Union and third-country producers, considered that international acknowledgement of animal welfare rules must be one of the key points of the negotiating brief for the WTO Millennium Round." This is a significant development and I fully support it. The EU Commission is the appropriate agency to promote recognition of animal welfare as a trading issue at the WTO level. It is in the best interests of the animal, the producer and indeed the consumer that there be a harmonised, worldwide standard of animal welfare. It should be mentioned in this context that Council Directive 98/58/EC dealing with the protection of animals kept for farming purposes requires the Commission to submit a report on the following matters: the comparison between animal welfare provisions in the Community and in non-member countries which supply the Community; the scope for obtaining wider international acceptance of the welfare principles laid down in this directive, and the extent to which Community objectives in relation to animal welfare may be liable to be undermined as a result of competition from non-member countries which do not apply equivalent standards.
I look forward with interest to receiving the Commission's proposals in the near future.