I am and my officials are directly involved in ongoing and frequent North-South engagement up to and including the highest levels. This involves having extensive contact between officials in my Department and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Northern Ireland and interested parties in the food, agriculture and fishing sectors in both jurisdictions. This work is undertaken in the context of actively pursuing our priorities for advancing co-operation through the structures of the North-South Ministerial Council, most recently at the agriculture sectoral meeting of the Council which took place last Wednesday, 31 October in Armagh. Both Departments continue to enjoy excellent co-operation in the development of an All-Island Animal Health Strategy for control of animal movements and the prevention, containment and eradication of epizootic diseases in Ireland; the development of an All-Island Plant Health and Research Strategy including co-operation between both jurisdictions in relation to plant protection products and liaison on issues arising at WTO, EU enlargement and the mid-term review of the CAP.
There is also co-operation in other areas of common interest as specific matters arise, the most recent being issues relating to farm safety and the outbreak of the Chalara Fraxinea disease commonly known ash dieback. The engagement involves many officials in the Department.
