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

The byword here is vigilance in the context of the negotiations. As the Deputy said, we export our products in the agrifood space to more than 180 countries around the world so it is not a sustainable position to take the view that trade is only in one direction. Bearing that in mind, it is not envisaged that there would be full trade liberalisation on products in which we would have a specific interest.

Trade negotiations by their nature are protracted and difficult. We only have to reflect on the aforementioned Mercosur negotiations, which have been going on for over a decade and are not concluded. This is very much at the early stage. I know the connotations in Irish farming minds when we consider Australia and New Zealand are substantially sheepmeat, dairy in particular and also beef producers. Given that full trade liberalisation is not envisaged, that does not mean we need to be any less vigilant. There are opportunities as well. We export to those countries also. In any trade negotiations it is about finding an agreement-----

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