Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

They are all valid questions, but I have made the case to the Commission, formally and informally. I have speaking notes to show that I have raised this issue at Council meetings. There are one or two other countries in a similar position, Slovenia probably being the best example. Countries that continue to have large sugar quotas and industries are anxious to protect the status quo because last summer the value of sugar reached new highs, with processed sugar reaching a figure of over €700 a tonne.

A rule of thumb would be that as long as the price of processed sugar stays above €500 per tonne, the feasibility studies I saw last summer stack up in terms of the viability of building a plant to produce sugar and ethanol for over €200 million and actually being able to pay that money back. We are two stages away from that, however. My job is to focus on getting a compromise agreed between those countries - some of which are powerful - that want to see sugar quotas retained because it protects the EU sugar industry, and other countries that, because of the global shortage of sugar, want a free market on the world stage so that the EU can trade in the market. I want the industry to press ahead with this proposal, if it is feasible, and I do not want quotas inhibiting that. We will try to achieve this in the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, negotiations. That is not going to be easy, however. It is difficult to put an exact figure on the number of jobs that could be created but it would be a significant industry.

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