Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Co-Chairman for the opportunity, as a non-member of the committee but as a Border county representative, to make a contribution. Mr. Timmermans talked about solutions. I wish in a non-partisan way to throw two short questions out to him. We all know about the formation of the EU. It was a peace project in the first instance and then an economic project. Is there merit in the EU taking a clear stance on the peace process and recognising that this North-South project needs special status on its own? While I know there are links in this regard to the economy and peace on our island, is there merit to the Commission's considering this and saying we must deal with this aspect of peace? This includes a continuation of the lack of a hard Border. Any diminution in the invisibility of the Border that currently exists is probably one of the most contentious issues that will arise in negotiations. The unequivocal support for this is significant in the context of the status of the Good Friday Agreement as a solemn, sovereign agreement.

My second question is rather simplistic but concerns probably the biggest issue arising in the Border region. I refer to our agriculture industry. I will ask a simple question. The integrity of our food on an all-Ireland basis must be protected. We know the history of foot and mouth disease, BSE and the horsemeat scandal in recent years. Without talking about special trade deals, would it not make sense for the EU to recognise that Ireland needs to brand its agricultural produce on an all-island basis and be allowed to market that produce on an all-Ireland basis, North and South, into England and the EU to bestow on this island an integrity regarding its food produce?