Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 57: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the status of the World Trade Organisation talks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12039/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The ministerial conference in Hong Kong in December 2005 made significant progress towards concluding an agreement on the current World Trade Organisation negotiations. The conference reached agreement on a number of issues, the end-date for export subsidies in particular, and set clear deadlines for the completion of the negotiations. A deadline of end of April 2006 was set for the completion of the modalities of the new agreement and a further deadline of end of July 2006 was set for completion of the detailed member country schedules. Intensive negotiations have been underway since Hong Kong and these are continuing with a view to meeting the end of April deadline.

I am continuing to play an active role in these negotiations and I am pursuing a balanced outcome between all sectors of the negotiations and across the different elements of the agriculture negotiations. My overriding objective remains to ensure that the final agreement on agriculture will not require a further reform of the Common Agriculture Policy.