Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 237: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the extent to which he and other EU Ministers have prepared a plan for the agricultural and food production sector to play a necessary and pivotal role in economic recovery throughout Europe with a view to job creation and improved opportunity now and in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17305/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Discussions are ongoing in the European Council, and in a number of other Council formations, on a replacement strategy for the Lisbon Agenda, to steer the EU to economic recovery, growth and jobs in the period up to 2020. This strategy is known as the EU 2020 strategy. To this end, earlier this year the EU Commission produced a communication setting out the proposed priorities and targets for the new strategy and the suggested means and processes for their delivery. The spring meeting of the European Council of Heads of State and Government agreed conclusions that endorse the broad thrust of the Commission objectives and targets.

The Commission proposed that the new strategy be based on the three priorities of smart growth, sustainable growth and inclusive growth. It identified five headline targets to be achieved (raising employment, promoting innovation, responding to climate change and energy use, boosting education, and reducing poverty) and a series of flagship initiatives centred round and designed to deliver results on the three priorities.

At the insistence of Ireland and a number of other Member States, the European Council included a reference in the Conclusions on its Spring meeting on the need for all common policies, including the CAP, to support the strategy. The conclusions went on to state that "a sustainable, productive and competitive agricultural sector will make an important contribution to the new strategy, considering the growth and employment potential of rural areas while ensuring fair competition". The proposed strategy was subsequently discussed by EU Agriculture Ministers and there was unanimous agreement that agriculture had a crucial contribution to make to the strategy in terms of sustainable growth, rural employment, territorial cohesion, mitigating climate change, economic growth, increasing exports and social inclusion.

I am very pleased that there is agreement on the important contribution that a sustainable, productive and competitive agricultural sector will make to the new strategy. This was something that Ireland had pressed for strongly in the discussions. The sector is an essential platform for the EU food and drinks sector. This is the largest manufacturing sector in the EU and represents some 9% of industrial value added and over 10% of industrial employment. Moreover, it is a sector in which global demand is guaranteed to increase.

A modern, productive agriculture and food sector will support green growth by assisting in land management and social inclusion for rural communities. It will also ensure more sustainable use of natural resources and support climate change mitigation. From the economic viewpoint it will provide stable, higher-value employment opportunities requiring higher skill levels and qualifications and greater levels of R&D and, importantly, innovation. It will boost European exports and contribute to food security both within and beyond Europe.