Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 146: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the implications for the agri-food industry here of the breakdown of the Doha round of World Trade Organisation talks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32875/06]

Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 170: 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. [32760/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 170 together.

Intensive negotiations since the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in December 2005 failed to achieve progress and the current round of WTO negotiations were suspended by the WTO Director General at the end of July 2006. It is unclear at this stage when the negotiations will resume although the earliest date for resumption appears to be after the mid-term US Congressional elections in November.

The EU has already made significant contributions to facilitate progress in these negotiations. I believe that when the negotiations resume the onus should be on other WTO negotiating partners to make equivalent contributions. The final agreement must provide the Irish and EU agri-food industry every opportunity to compete on equal terms on world markets and provide an appropriate level of protection for Irish products on EU markets.

I remain committed to securing a new WTO agreement. However I am determined that this will not prevent Ireland from enjoying the benefits of a CAP and EU rural development policy that supports and protects the agriculture and food sector and which underpins the viability of rural communities. Accordingly my overriding objective is to ensure that any new WTO agreement can be accommodated within the terms of the recent CAP reforms and that further reform will not be required.

The current GATT/WTO Uruguay Round Agreement, which sets out the levels of support and protection which may be provided for the agri-food sector, will remain in place until a new agreement is concluded. I will be proceeding with the Agrivision 2015 Action Plan for the development of a modern, efficient, competitive and market-oriented agri-food industry in Ireland.