Donie Cassidy (Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 55: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will report on her recent visit to the US with Enterprise Ireland. [14138/05]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 61: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will make a statement on the outcome of her recent business development trip to the United States. [14179/05]

Seán Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 100: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will make a statement on the outcome of her recent meeting with the US Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Mike Johanns. [14180/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 55, 61 and 100 together.

I visited the United States over the period 9 to 16 April. This was my first visit to the US as Minister for Agriculture and Food and had as its overall objective the consolidation and further development of political, investment and trade links between Ireland and the US in the sphere of agriculture, with particular emphasis on food, nutrition and research and development.

My itinerary encompassed visits to New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Washington DC and Chicago, Illinois, in the course of which I had meetings with Mr. Mike Johanns, the US Agriculture Secretary and with a number of American and Irish owned US based companies. I also met the senior executives in the US of both Bord Bia and the Irish Dairy Board.

My meeting with Secretary Johanns covered a number of issues of mutual concern, most notably the recent developments in agricultural policy in both the EU and US and their relevance to the ongoing World Trade Organisation negotiations. I took the opportunity to outline Ireland's particular perspective on the agriculture dimension to WTO. I furthermore explained the recent CAP reforms and the overall policy approach being pursued in the CAP, especially following the MTR, and their impact on the EU's negotiating position in the WTO. As well as considering the up to date position in the negotiations, Secretary Johanns and I discussed the prospects for a conclusion to the talks and how other current policy issues, in the EU and the US, might influence the outcome. I also brought to his attention a number of concerns on bilateral trade issues. Our discussions also covered the significance of both US investment in Ireland in the areas of food and nutrition and ongoing investment by Irish agri-food companies in food-related businesses in the US. My meeting with Secretary Johanns was a very worthwhile and timely exchange of views and perspectives.

On the business development dimension of the visit, a key objective was to promote and further develop investment and technology links between Irish food companies and leading US food corporations, particularly in the areas of research collaboration and new high growth food sectors such as functional foods and ingredients and the health and well-being sectors. A number of key investment initiatives have already arisen out of the visit. I am not in a position to divulge the details at this point because of the necessity to respect commercial confidentiality.

On 28 April I was, however, able to announce one very welcome development arising from the visit. This was an exclusive research, development and cross-licensing agreement entered into by Cork company, Alimentary Health, with the major US company, Mead Johnson Nutritionals. Under the terms of this agreement, Alimentary Health and Mead Johnson Nutritionals will each contribute their intellectual property and patented technologies to research projects and jointly fund development programs focussing on the development of new paediatric nutritional products.

I am satisfied that the visit met its overall objective and that appropriate follow up will be undertaken by Enterprise Ireland and Bord Bia.