Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 727: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the position regarding the WTO and the CAP review for 2008; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14295/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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As regards the WTO, representatives of the EU and the main negotiating partners met recently in New Delhi and committed themselves to completing the negotiations by the end of the year. A further round of intensive negotiations is expected to take place in the next few months with a view to reaching agreement on the outline of a new agreement and to finalise the details by year end. Despite renewed efforts to achieve progress in recent months, there are no indications, for the moment, of a breakthrough on the substance of the negotiations. No new offer has been made by any of the negotiating partners. The emphasis in the negotiations remains on agriculture and there have been no recent developments of any significance in relation to the wider agenda of services, industrial goods or other issues. At this stage, there is no clear indication that any other negotiating partners are willing to concede in order to achieve compromise as the negotiations proceed.

I am committed to a successful conclusion to the negotiations. However, I believe that the negotiations must proceed, in parallel, on a multilateral and multi-sectoral basis in order to ensure a balanced outcome. Agriculture must not carry a disproportionate burden in the negotiations and I am firmly opposed to any further concession on agriculture beyond the EU's offer of October 2005.

As regards the CAP "Health Check", I expect that the Commission will bring forward a communication later in the year or early in 2008 outlining various policy issues for general debate. Formal proposals will be presented at a later stage by decision by the Council of Ministers later in 2008. The Commission has signalled a number of issues that may be included in the 'Health Check' but no definite details are available at this stage. However, I expect that the process will include the review of milk quotas and the review of implementation of the Single Payment Scheme, both of which have been already agreed. While the Commissioner has stated that she does not envisage further radical reform of the CAP, she has adverted to the need for constant monitoring of common policies with a view to streamlining, simplification and rationalisation.

My main concern, following the most recent CAP reform, will be to ensure that there is a sustained period of stability to allow farmers to implement the changes necessitated by decoupling and to adapt to the market needs in a stable policy environment. The 2003 CAP reform is still being implemented and further major policy change should not be contemplated at this stage. However, I am favourably disposed to simplification and the reduction of bureaucracy for farmers and national administrations. I intend that all proposals emerging in the CAP 'Health Check' will be carefully scrutinised and evaluated to ensure that they support the maintenance of a viable, stable and sustainable policy framework for the continued prosperity of Irish agriculture.