Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. As Deputy Jackie Cahill said, there are three major issues which, from where we are sitting, are all negative and very much interlinked. One will have a knock-on effect on the other. Brexit will have an effect on the budget for the CAP. It would affect the beef industry, even if there was no Mercosur. It looks like the beef industry will be hit from two angles. While there is work in progress and, to an extent, there are moving targets, things can change overnight.

I have a couple of brief questions about the Minister's report. Since the budget for the CAP and Brexit are moving targets and given that the position could change quickly, one issue about which I seem to be hearing when I hear about the CAP is giving member states more discretion.

What is the thinking of the Minister or the Department in that regard? Have contingency plans been put in place or has there been any preplanning for that? There is a saying that if one fails to plan, one plans to fail. Are we waiting until it is written in stone or are there any thoughts or ideas on the direction we might go in that scenario or if, as seems likely, it will be part of the overall CAP?

As regards planning and contingency planning, Brexit negotiations can change overnight through no fault of anyone. Although we are well aligned with the European side in the negotiations, our interests seem to be pushed to the fore and the European Union seems to be very much on our side, the negotiations could be pulled down by the other side. Is there a contingency plan for the worst-case scenario were that to happen or what is the Department's thinking in that regard?

As for the Mercosur agreement, how far are we prepared to go to stop it? Do we have a veto and will we use it if necessary?