Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Much of the public commentary on these trade agreements is slightly worrying because it does not seem to acknowledge that if we do not trade we will have ten year old bullocks roaming the highways and byways of west Cork and other parts of the country. We need to export 90% of what we produce on the island. We can feed 50 million people with the exports we produce here to a high quality and standard. Trade is our lifeblood but it is trade on our terms in a way that protects our primary producers. The more markets we have, the better prices we can extract. I acknowledge that a Brexit would be particularly devastating for the agrifood sector. In consultations with the stakeholders I have met since my appointment I have emphasised that they have a skin in the game in this debate and in whatever way they consider appropriate they should reach out to people they can influence, whether it is the 140,000 people living here, the very significant Irish expat population in the UK or many of the major agrifood players who have operations in the UK. They should try to influence that debate in whatever way they can.

I acknowledge the point made by Deputy Heydon on TTIP. We have both offensive and defensive interest in this regard and we need to make sure that any negotiation is concluded in terms that are beneficial to us. We never get everything we want in negotiations but we should not compromise on the standards of food production or on the safety of the food we produce in any way. They are cornerstones of negotiations that will not be compromised.

See this speech in context