Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. As has been outlined by many people today, several sectors are most likely to be hardest hit by Brexit and are already feeling the implications of Brexit and the uncertainty that surrounds it. The farming community is probably the most likely to be hardest hit, particularly if there is no trade deal and there is an imposition of tariffs and additional costs and challenges in trading with the UK. Acknowledging that, throughout this process we have tried to ensure we have engaged with all the farming and fisheries representative groups to ensure that not only do they understand the work we are doing, but that we are taking information back from those groups regarding the measures we are putting in place, whether through the Departments or regarding our requests at a European level, and that we are getting that information right. There is a constant two-way flow of information and engagement and we will continue that throughout this process until the end of the year, and well into next year and beyond.

We have already put significant financial supports in place through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the past three budgets. That acknowledged that farmers, and beef farmers in particular, are already being hit hard. We will continue in that vein, but it is for a new Government, and a new budget this year, to provide further assistance.

One thing I have done consistently at a European level at every opportunity at the General Affairs Council, particularly when discussing the next European budget, is to raise the need for and significance of the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, being maintained at current levels. What is positive and welcome is that in the new MFF, of €1.1 trillion and the next generation fund, an additional €15 billion has been allocated to Pillar 2 of the CAP. We are still examining what that means for us but there is constant engagement and we are very conscious our farmers will need additional support and we will definitely provide that for them.

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