Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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514. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress to date at EU level to remove all anti-dumping duties and tariffs on fertiliser prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8073/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Statistical analysis has shown that fertiliser is a significant expenditure item on EU farms, accounting for €19.2bn in 2014 (Eurostat), while the imposition of anti-dumping duties and customs tariffs on fertilisers is costing farmers up to €1 billion per annum (International Food and Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)).

I have long believed that the elimination of fertiliser tariffs and anti-dumping duties is something that could help farmers reduce their input costs and in this context I asked the Commission to consider a temporary suspension of customs tariffs and anti-dumping duties on fertilisers in the lead up to the Council of Agriculture Ministers in March last year.

This is something that I actively pursued at Council throughout 2016, both with the Commission and in consultation with my Council colleagues, and in fact raised again at last month's Council of Agriculture Ministers when I asked the Commission to address the significant overpricing of fertilisers in the EU brought about by the imposition of anti-dumping duties on imports. Commissioner Hogan acknowledged the desirability of bringing about lower prices, but indicated that, despite considerable efforts on his part, this is proving very difficult to achieve.