Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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These three issues are taking up an enormous amount of effort, time and thought within the Department in terms of trying to engineer the best possible outcomes. We just embarked on an extensive CAP consultation. We have been around the country on a roadshow and have received more than 150 submissions on CAP from the public and stakeholders interested in the option. We will be considering all of those in the context.

With regard to Brexit, we have been active in that space in terms of stakeholder engagement even before 23 June 2016. Obviously, that level of engagement has accelerated and there have been a number of policy responses in terms of Brexit loans, tax changes for the food industry and the new Teagasc facility in Moorepark in respect of offering companies assistance in moving from certain products that might be more exposed to the UK market. We have invested in the preferred consumer food sector to assist it in that space. A series of initiatives across the Brexit issue have delivered assistance. Yesterday, we launched the €300 million loan fund to the SME sector with a minimum 40% being ring-fenced for the food industry. There have been a lot of initiatives, engagement with stakeholders and consideration of the policy implications on CAP.

With regard to Mercosur, we have regular engagement at Agriculture and Fisheries Council meetings. I have attended bilateral meetings on Mercosur, CAP and Brexit issues with virtually every Minister in the Agriculture and Fisheries Council and have had two or three rounds of engagement with some of them.

It is a series of ongoing political engagement, from a Department point of view, continuous assessment and work on various scenarios. There is a continuous job of work under way. In the upcoming Council meeting in Luxembourg in April, there is a series of bilaterals organised with a number of member states as well. There is a constant work programme around these three issues.