Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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278. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the specific Council of EU Agriculture Ministers meetings at which he made the case for the need for a revision of State aid rules for the Irish agri food sector during the UK’s two year exit phase from the EU and subsequent transition phase; the date of every such meeting at which this was raised, in tabular form; the progress which has been made at EU level to increase current State aid thresholds to support agri food enterprises in a hard Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7933/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The matter of a revision of state aid rules, and more particularly that of a possible increase to the current state aid thresholds, was raised at several Council of EU Agriculture Ministers meetings in 2016, in the context of the ongoing difficulties being experienced on EU agricultural markets. Some Member States, including Ireland, raised the possibility of increasing individualde minimisthresholds from their current level of €15,000, to €30,000. To date the Commission has resisted such calls. 

The issue of reviewing state aid rules in a Brexit context is something that would need careful consideration in the context of the European Commission's overall approach to the exit negotiations, which are yet to commence.

Meanwhile, the Deputy will already be aware of the many measures in place to support the Irish agri-food sector in dealing with the impact of the fall in the value of sterling against the euro. These include additional funding for Bord Bia and Bord Iascaigh Mhara, agri-taxation measures, and increased expenditure on the Rural Development Programme and the Seafood Development Programme. From a State aid perspective, the recently-launched €150 million low cost agri-loan scheme, includes de minimisaid of €4 million for all non-livestock farmers, and particularly tillage and horticulture farmers, as a means of addressing the impact of Brexit.