Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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324. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the progress made at European Union level in having additional food products exempted from the Russian ban on exports from the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6035/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The adverse effects of the effective closure of the Russian market arise from the combined impact of the African Swine Fever (ASF)-related ban of February 2014 and the Presidential decree of August 2014, which imposed a ban on agricultural products and foodstuffs from countries that have adopted sanctions against Russia in the context of the situation in Ukraine. These adverse effects are still being keenly felt by farmers. While this is a difficult issue, Ireland has continued to urge the Commission at every opportunity over recent months, both at official and political levels, to intensify its political, technical and diplomatic efforts to unlock the Russian market, particularly in relation to products outside the scope of the Presidential decree, such as pig lards, fats and offals.

For its part, the Commission has been working to make progress on this issue. It has been in regular, direct communication with the Russian authorities in relation to the ASF ban, arguing that an EU-wide ban is totally disproportionate given the limited incidence of ASF in a small number of Member States. It has also taken a case against Russia to the WTO’s dispute settlement panel, in respect of which a final ruling is awaited. In the meantime, the pigmeat sector continues to be supported via the exceptional market support measures agreed by Member States in recent months.