Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 22: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the position regarding the latest CAP health check as proposed by the European Commission; if agreement will be reached by the November 2008 Council meeting; the implications of this for agriculture here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33992/08]

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 43: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the money he has secured in the health check of the CAP; and if he will clarify if the money is new or recycled funds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37481/08]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 79: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if it is his intention to support European Commission proposals in the CAP health check to increase modulation to fund either rural development or the sheep sector. [37384/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 22, 43 and 79 together.

The CAP Health Check dossier was presented to Ministers at the Informal May Council. A full first round examination of the texts has now been completed by the Working Groups and most of the technical and linguistic issues have been addressed. Tri-lateral meetings took place at the Agriculture Council on 29/30 September to identify the three main priorities for each Member State with a view to commencing debate on political issues at the Special Committee on Agriculture and at a series of high-level working groups to take place in October. Further tri-lateral meetings took place at the Agriculture Council in Luxembourg earlier this week to further refine the political issues outstanding. The Presidency remains confident that the proposals will be adopted as a package at the November Council of Agriculture Ministers.

The Health Check proposals are described as a fine-tuning of the 2003 reform of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP); there are three areas (i) a review of the implementation of the single payment scheme (SPS), (ii) a review of market management measures including the milk quota regime and (iii) a response to the so-called new challenges of climate change, bio-energy, water management and bio-diversity. The impact of the whole package of measures on Irish agriculture, including the financial impact, will clearly depend on what is agreed at the end of the negotiations. My aim in the negotiations will be to achieve the best possible outcome for Ireland and for agriculture. I have already outlined the issues of concern to Ireland to Commissioner Fischer Boel and the French Presidency, to Commission officials and to colleagues in other Member States. I will continue to take an active role in the discussions at every opportunity and to reiterate our priorities. Our priorities for the health check negotiations include:

Seeking sufficient milk quota increases and appropriate market management arrangements to ensure a "soft landing" in preparation for the expiry of quotas in 2015.

Ensuring clear, predictable decisions are taken on milk quotas to give policy certainty to producers and to industry.

Opposing the substantial increases in compulsory modulation proposed by the Commission.

Seeking further simplification of the single payment scheme and cross compliance.

Ensuring national discretion in the adjustment of the single payment scheme and the operation of specific supports funded from the single payment ceiling.

A consultative process with key stakeholders was established to advise on the main issues arising in the Health Check and the output from this will feed into Ireland's position in the negotiations.

As regards modulation in particular, as I have already indicated I am opposed to the Commission proposals. I believe that they run counter to the legitimate expectations of Irish farmers who have accepted full decoupling just three years ago and who are still adapting to this fundamental change. While Ireland strongly supports Pillar 2 of the CAP and has provided a high level of national funding for rural development I believe that any additional funding to address the so-called new challenges must be on a voluntary basis.