Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 142: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food his position, as conveyed to his EU colleagues, in the context of the common agricultural policy review and world trade talks; his position in such discussions; the countries within the European Union most closely aligned to this position; the countries opposed; the degree to which he will identify with, support and receive support from in this context; if he will ensure that Ireland's position as a food producer and an exporter is not jeopardised having particular regard to the need for each country within the European Union to maximise its potential in economic terms with specific reference to the need for a coordinated economic recovery throughout Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3898/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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My overarching view is that future EU agricultural policy must adhere closely to the original objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy as set out in the Treaty of Rome and reiterated in the Lisbon Treaty. It must contain elements that protect farmers' incomes and thus maintain family farming in Europe. It also needs to ensure security of food supply and the delivery of quality products to consumers at reasonable prices.

Essentially future EU agricultural policy must be based on the twin goals of competitiveness and sustainability; it must have sufficient resources to meet these goals and it must be simple to justify, understand and operate. These objectives apply equally whether the discussion concerns the future of the Common Agricultural Policy or the WTO Trade talks. They are points that I have pressed strongly in discussions to date with other Member States and in the Council and I am pleased that there is strong support for my views with my Ministerial colleagues.

By way of illustration of that support, last month a group of 22 Member States, including Ireland, agreed a common declaration regarding the future of agricultural policy within the EU. The declaration included the following collective commitment from the 22 Ministers, that "together we are convinced that agriculture is central to the core issues for our society: food, preservation of natural resources, job creation, public goods, the economic vitality of rural areas and more generally the rural development. Agriculture is a key asset for Europe and its political and economic development, notably in the context of the future EU 2020 strategy". The declaration went on to affirm that "we must have resources for action commensurate with our ambitions".

It is early days in the negotiations on the future of the CAP and it would be premature to predict a final outcome at this point. My aim in the negotiations is to ensure that we have a robust and properly funded CAP into the future that underpins Ireland's position as a food producer and exporter and that maximises our potential in economic terms.

It is essential therefore in my view that we maintain coherence between our policy decisions on the future of the CAP and the negotiating process in the WTO talks. We must ensure that we do not undermine the competitiveness and sustainability of European and Irish agriculture by decisions taken in the context of the WTO negotiations and we need to adopt a coherent and co-ordinated approach to both policy dossiers.