Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

508. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a Brexit sub-committee has been established in his Department; if so, when the sub-committee was convened; the number of times the sub-committee has met; the number of members on the sub-committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36197/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The work of my Department in relation to Brexit is comprised of a number of components. 

Following the UK vote I established a Brexit unit in the Department and this unit has been assessing the implications of the exit vote and working on contingency planning. It will deepen further the Department's analysis as the notification and negotiation processes unfold over the coming period. It is supported in this work by input from the relevant Divisions of the Department and it draws regularly on the expertise of the Department's Trade Team.

The Brexit unit is also co-ordinating the work of the Consultative Committee of stakeholders - which has met on two occasions, and will continue to convene as required - as well as the bilateral contacts that are now well established with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in London.  

My Department is also feeding in to the overall Brexit response being co-ordinated by the Department of the Taoiseach, and is chairing an agrifood sub-group that has been tasked with identifying the implications for the agrifood sector and the potential actions that will be required to address these issues. 

Brexit has also been added as a standing item to the agenda of every meeting of the High Level Implementation Committee of Food Wise 2025, the current 10-year strategy for the agrifood sector.  The Food Wise Implementation Plan includes a series of actions on market development, innovation and competitiveness which are informing our response to the challenges posed by the UK vote.