Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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1175. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the parameters of the discussions held with colleagues from other EU member states at the Informal Meeting of EU Forest Directors in Vilnius, Lithuania from 10 to 13 September 2013; if he will detail any agreements reached; if he will provide an update on matters discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37416/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Presidency meeting to which the deputy refers took place in Vilnius from 10-12th September 2013 - the previous such meeting having taken place in Dublin Castle in March 2013. The meeting involved EU Member State authorities (including ministries, services, agencies, etc.) responsible for matters of forest policy, to discuss and update themselves on the most relevant forestry issues at the EU level. The Commission, the Council Secretariat and Stakeholder's representatives were also afforded an opportunity to attend.

The meeting considered a full agenda of current EU forestry topics including:

- A New EU Forest strategy,

- Negotiations for a Legally Binding Agreement on Forests in Europe (LBA),

- Forestry measures under the new Rural Development regime,

- Implementation of the EU Timber Regulation,

- A possible regulation on criteria on sustainable biomass, and

- A profile of forests and forest management in Lithuania.

The question of further progress on these issues under the Lithuanian Presidency was central to this meeting and the discussions were primarily focussed on preparation for the forthcoming negotiations on the LBA which will resume in November 2013 in Geneva. The Lithuanian Presidency was anxious to focus on appropriate negotiating positions and tactics for the EU and its Member States. Ireland, with the Commission, led on behalf of the EU in the previous round of negotiations on the LBA which took place in Warsaw in June 2013. In this regard it is generally agreed that 90% of the technical issues relating to the proposed Forest Convention were resolved in Warsaw. It was the view of the Member States in Vilnius that a foundation for concluding the remaining elements, which have a greater political dimension, is in place and that extensive negotiation and compromise can permit the final resolution of these outstanding elements at the forthcoming Geneva meeting.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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1176. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the parameters of the discussions held with ministerial colleagues at the Informal meeting of Ministers for Agriculture (AGRI) in Vilnius, Lithuania from 8 to 10 September 2013; if he will detail any agreements reached; if he will provide an update on matters discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37417/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The main topic for discussion at the informal meeting was the future of family farming in the context of globalisation. Discussion was based on a paper prepared by the Lithuanian Presidency which posed questions to Member States concerning the ways in which EU and national governments could enhance sustainability and support innovation, the most appropriate mechanisms for transmission of family farms and for access to land and capital and the policy measures that might be envisaged for development of cooperatives and producer organisations and for the promotion of short food supply chains and local food systems.

As this was an informal meeting of the Agriculture Council, no decisions were taken.

The general view expressed by Ministers was that family farms are the foundation of European agriculture and that, in addition to the economic benefits, they make a significant contribution to food security, environmental objectives and other public goods. Thus it is important to provide continued support from public funds. Member States mentioned the importance of innovation, farm advisory services, training and technology transfer in order to preserve the model. Easing access to land and investment capital were also highlighted and the importance of succession planning and generational transmission were stressed. A number of Member States mentioned the need to strengthen role of farmers in the food supply through cooperatives, collaborative farming, producer groups and short supply chains. Other Member States said the imperative was that farm units were commercially viable.

I made the point that family farms provided additional benefits over and above food production and should be supported. Nonetheless, they must be competitive and innovative and the challenge would be to bring family farms along with current changes in policy and context. Policies to assist that development and change include those addressing price volatility, generational change, innovation and technology transfer. I drew the attention of other Member States to the farm development discussion groups that had proved to be a major success in Ireland.

I also spoke about the need for policies to address the major issues of access to land and capital. There was a need to find alternative means of creating economies of scale through support of collaborative farming and partnerships. These should be assisted through domestic taxation, appropriate state aid rules and pillar 2 measures. I mentioned the question of succession and the need to encourage more long-term leasing of land. As to cooperatives and producer groups, I noted Ireland’s very successful cooperative movement but I made the point that there would be further need for economies of scale to ensure their ability to remain competitive in the global market.

The EU Commission and a number of Member States used their interventions to emphasise the need to finalise the outstanding elements of CAP reform as quickly as possible and, more importantly, not to dismantle any aspect of the agreement reached in Luxembourg in June.