Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)

Will the Minister agree that the general sense of relief within the Irish agrifood sector when Mr. Peter Mandelson packed his bags in Geneva and the WTO talks collapsed some 18 months ago is now misplaced? This has happened as a result of an internal initiative within the European Union to conduct bilateral trade talks with the Mercosur countries. If there is one thing worse than a bad agreement on tariffs and trade, it is a series of bilateral trade agreements within which it appears that similar to the general agreement on tariffs and trade, GATT, food and agriculture is always the sweetener thrown in to pave the way for consensus in other areas.

I accept the Minister's bona fides on this issue, but what is the possibility of securing a fair deal in these negotiations where equivalence is the corner stone? In other words, if they want access to our markets, can the Minister insist that the Commission in conducting these negotiations ensures that they meet the same production standards that are critical for Irish and European farmers?

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