Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 65: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has fully examined all the implications of the ongoing World Trade Organisation discussions for the food producing sectors here with particular reference to ensuring these sectors are not penalised or disadvantaged in any way having particular regard for the need of employment generation in the future; if he envisages threats from low-cost economies in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20312/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The current position in regard to the WTO negotiations is that talks are stalled following the failure to reach agreement at the Ministerial meeting last July and the decision to defer indefinitely a second Ministerial meeting planned for last December. The G20 meeting in April provided no new momentum for the negotiations and nor did it set a date for a conclusion of the talks this year. The prospects for agreement are uncertain, however, it is difficult to see serious negotiations restarting until later this year at the earliest.

Several initiatives are underway to anticipate and prepare for the more competitive environment facing the agri-food sector in expectation of a WTO deal at some point in the future and to address other challenges facing the sector.

Strategies for the development of a consumer focused, competitive and sustainable agri-food sector capable of meeting the challenges of more liberalised markets and broader societal demands both at home and abroad are set out in the Agri-vision 2015 report and the Cawley Report. These strategies identify the delivery of safe, high quality, nutritious food, produced in a sustainable manner in high value markets as the optimum road for the future of the Irish food industry in the light of the changes which have already taken place or are anticipated over the next number of years and span the entire food chain from primary production through processing to market access which is key to developing export potential.

An inter-Departmental Market Access Group chaired by my Department and comprising representatives from the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Enterprise, Trade and Employment, An Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and Bord Iascaigh Mhara is currently engaged in a co-ordinated effort to identify potential market opportunities for the full range of Irish food and beverages, prioritisation of market initiatives and broader access issues.

Bord Bia, recently published a Strategy to boost food exports for the period 2009-2011. The strategy comprises six key priorities to be addressed including enhancing the industry's position on its home market to capitalise on the potential for growth and expansion of exports with a particular emphasis on the Eurozone markets. During 2009 Bord Bia will implement a comprehensive set of promotional programmes and services, which have been developed in consultation with industry bearing in mind the impact of the sterling differential on competitiveness.