Written answers

Wednesday, 3 May 2006

Department of Agriculture and Food

Food Industry

9:00 pm

Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
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Question 407: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if, in view of the World Trade Organisation decisions, sensitive product status will be sought for critical beef and lamb cuts; if she will insist on higher standards from non-EU imports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16429/06]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The July 2004 WTO Framework Agreement provides for the designation of a certain number of sensitive products by WTO member countries. The number of products to be designated by each WTO member, the conditions which govern their selection and the compensation which must be offered by way of Tariff Rate Quota, will be decided as part of the negotiations on the new agreement. The decision by the EU to designate a product as sensitive will depend on the tariff reduction formula that is finally agreed and the amount of tariff rate quota expansion that must be provided for each sensitive product. My objective is to maximize the protection for our most important products from third country imports and I will be seeking sensitive product status, where appropriate, to achieve this.

I have some concerns that producers in certain WTO member countries are not required to observe the same requirements as EU producers in relation to food safety, traceability, animal health and animal welfare and environmental standards. I have notified the Commission of my concerns in this area. However, WTO agreements do not permit the EU to determine the precise nature of the regulatory requirements to be applied by other WTO members but to ensure that exporting third countries provide guarantees that are equivalent to the standards applied in the EU. In that connection, I have drawn the Commission's attention to the need for real equivalence on the specific issues of animal traceability, controls on veterinary medicines and prohibited substances and residue monitoring programmes in third countries with particular reference to South American beef in view of its increasing presence on the European market.

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