Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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412. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking with European Union colleagues in relation to the transatlantic trade and investment partnership negotiations to ensure that no beef will be allowed access into the Union which is produced at a lower standard; his position regarding additional quotas of tariff-free beef entering the Union from the United States being considered in the negotiations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37506/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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An EU-US deal under the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is of significant importance for Ireland. The US is one of our leading trading partners, and we have a large and growing agri-food trade surplus with them (exports of €570m last year, compared to imports of €268m). The drinks industry currently accounts for over 60% of the value of exports. We have significant offensive interests in the TTIP negotiations. For example, we see worthwhile opportunities in the US for cheese, powdered milks and sports products, and further opportunities for branded packaged butter, if we can remove some regulatory barriers. Prepared consumer foods and fish could also benefit from trade liberalisation.

Beef is a unique sector in that we have both offensive and defensive interests. In the long term, any significant increase in beef imports to the EU could have adverse effects on the Irish industry. That was confirmed by a number of recent studies and is an issue we have raised strongly with the European Commission. Admittedly, adverse effects look much less likely at present, as US prices are currently at historic highs. But it does mean that we have legitimate concerns about the size, composition and administration of any quota offered to the US.

Of course, we should also seek a significant EU quota for beef to the US as part of any TTIP agreement. Following the re-opening of the market, Irish beef exports now fall under a 65,000 tonne quota for ‘other countries’ on a first come, first served basis. This is mainly filled by Latin American countries. When we get access for manufacturing beef - which I hope will be soon - we would stand to benefit greatly from a specific EU import quota in the US and this can only be achieved through TTIP.

A number of key issues in these negotiations arise in relation to hormone treated beef, food standards, GMOs and Geographical indicators. All of these arose in the Canadian negotiations and were resolved and I believe they can also be resolved in TTIP.

It is important to ensure that the principle of equivalence will continue to apply so that even where food production processes in the EU and US are not identical they will provide equivalent guarantees regarding the standards of production. This principle is already enshrined under the World Trade Organisation Agreement and is also recognised by both sides in the EU US negotiations as the basis for the TTIP agreement. Equally it is important that both the EU and United States retain the policy space to restrict certain practices and processes on social and ethical grounds and this is also recognised, in principle, by both sides.

This is particularly relevant in relation to the use of hormones in meat production. The EU Commission has made it clear that it will not allow the importation of hormone treated meat into the EU and this is well understood by the US side. In these circumstances, we do not anticipate that the TTIP agreement will have any impact on food standards within the state.