Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State's statement. He mentioned Panama being a good export market for our whiskey. I presume that if he is asked to recommend a particular brand, Midleton would not be far down the list, given where he comes from. It is good to know that the people have a discerning taste for drink.

I hope the implementation of agreements happens in the spirit in which we agree them on a macro level and that they can lead to additional trade and increased job opportunities in Europe and in Central America. The Minister concluded by referring to human rights. The EU is formally committed to respecting human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Its aim includes promoting a society in which justice, solidarity and equality prevail but we often do not recall that its founding treaty stated explicitly that it would apply these principles to all its activities, agreements and interaction with other countries and trading blocs.

When we sign up to trade agreements, it is particularly important we ensure workers' rights and human rights are protected. A trade agreement should not be just about increasing the quantum of the trade but should also be about trying to improve the living standards of those on either side of the agreement who will be the beneficiaries of it.

Climate change has been in the news recently, particularly in terms of the Paris conference. My understanding is that, in global terms, there are hot spots for adverse climate change impacts in Central America. If droughts are likely to intensify and become more prolonged, there will be an adverse effect on those countries' ability to have a sustainable food production system and, sadly, it will be the poorest of people who will suffer most if there is a decline in production of food. All the research shows that food security, particularly for the rural poor, is an issue that must be kept at the top of the agenda. Whatever the European Union can do to help the farming systems in those countries to adapt and try to mitigate the effects of climate change, it is very important that is done and that Europe makes a meaningful contribution to the greatest extent possible to try to ensure there is not a lessening of food production due to climate change. We know we cannot deal with everything nature throws up but there are methods, including technology and knowledge transfer, that are essential in terms of those agricultural and food production systems being given the benefit of what Europe has achieved in that respect. I sincerely hope that will not be left to one side in the implementation of this agreement.

On imports, we have demanding and exacting standards within the European Union in regard to animal health, welfare, traceability and environmental standards for exporting food, which should be the case. Likewise, the same standards must be applied to food products coming into the European Union. There must be equivalents in the standards we set to export our products and those we demand for products that come into the European Union.

The Minister of State mentioned sustainability. Sustainability is hugely important in the Central America context and from the point of view of subsistence farmers and fishermen. We want to increase trade from Europe but at the same time, we must respect producers in Central America and not make them uncompetitive. We must respect local markets that are developed for local produce and ensure that we do not end up displacing local small producers.

We must ensure also that there are ongoing mechanisms to review the implementation of the agreement and that the human rights, workers' rights, sustainability and environmental awareness issues are continually addressed, monitored and implemented in the best way possible. That will ensure that Europe and the Central America countries are both beneficiaries of the agreement as it is implemented and that it benefits in particular the poorer people living in difficult conditions in remote rural areas and that their needs are respected in the implementation of those deals.

I welcome the advancement of this agreement but I emphasise that we can look at the agreement only on the macro level. We do not have the knowledge or competence to invigilate every aspect of the agreement but we trust that it will be implemented according to the founding principles of the European Union.