Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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526. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there have been any further developments regarding the ban by Russia on all imports of pig meat from the EU; if he raised this issue at the most recent meeting of the European Union Council of Agriculture Ministers; if he has had any direct contact with the Russian authorities regarding the need to lift this ban; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17829/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Since my reply to the Deputy on 4 March there has been ongoing contact at political and technical level between the EU Commission and the Russian Federation but to date no solution has been found which would satisfy both parties to the dispute.

The Russian Federation continues to reject the internationally recognised principal of regionalisation which was implemented by the European Union following the disclosure of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Lithuania and Poland.

I spoke on the matter at the March Council of Agriculture Ministers’ meeting in Brussels where I confirmed that Ireland supports the Commission approach to protecting the OIE based regionalisation approach to managing animal disease outbreaks. I urged fellow Member States to continue to act as one on this issue and to show support for the Commission`s approach to dealing with the current difficulty. I also highlighted the fact that time is running out for producers and processors in the EU and I encouraged the Commission to step up its efforts to find a solution soon. This solution needs to bring to an end to this unnecessary blanket ban on EU product while assuring the continued protection of the EU against the threat of animal disease.

Since then matters have not improved and last week the EU launched a legal challenge against Russia at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on the basis that the Russian ban was disproportionate and unfairly harmed EU pig farmers. The WTO dispute procedure provides for both sides to find a solution within 60 days after which formal litigation commences.

My Department is working closely with the Irish Embassy in Moscow to monitor the situation. My Department officials are also working closely with industry representatives at home, keeping them apprised of developments. In addition this matter was raised last week at the meeting of the Ireland-Russia Joint Economic Commission in Dublin. On the margins of that meeting, my Department officials discussed the issue with a visiting official delegation from Russia and impressed on them our desire to have the matter resolved and assuring them that Ireland is completely free of ASF and that we have the necessary controls in place to maintain this situation.