Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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360. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when the debate on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, will take place in Dáil Éireann; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17227/17]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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On the 15th February 2017, the European Parliament voted in favour of the provisional application of EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). Provisional application is a standard part of trade agreements and allows those parts of the agreement for which the EU has competence to come into force. The provisions relating to investment protection and investment dispute settlement are excluded from provisional application.

The process of ratification can now commence in some 43 national parliaments and regional assemblies across the EU according to their constitutional requirements. In Ireland’s case, the Dáil will be part of the final decision to ratify the Agreement.

I fully support provisional application of the Agreement. I am of the view that there should be no impediment to Irish companies immediately taking advantage of the provisions of CETA including eliminating tariffs on almost all of key exports, access to the Canadian procurement market, easing regulatory barriers and ensuring more transparent rules for market access.

I believe that it is important to wait to see the benefits of CETA come into being, before CETA is put before the Dáil for ratification. Then we can have a fully informed, evidence based debate on the value of the Agreement to Ireland.

My Department is already working with our agencies and Business Groups to ensure that Irish firms take early advantage of the terms of the Agreement. I will be leading a trade mission to Canada in late May to promote the opportunities provided by the Agreement.

Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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361. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the way she plans to protect jobs in the agriculture sector, particularly in the beef sector, which will face a massive influx of cheap beef from Canada as a result of Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17228/17]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The EU - Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) includes significant liberalisation of agri-food trade which will benefit Irish agriculture.

The total value of meat and dairy exports from Ireland to Canada is €5.1m and €11.8m respectively and there is a real prospect of growing business in these areas with Canada. Over the years, Ireland has developed an important pigmeat export trade to Canada and now there is potential to develop the export business for Irish beef and lamb also. The removal of the Canadian 26.5% import tariff will be a significant factor in achieving this aim. This means that Irish meat producers have full tariff free access to the Canadian market. In October 2016, Meat Industry Ireland wrote to me expressing their support for the early provisional application of CETA.

Beef is considered as a sensitive agricultural product in EU free trade agreements where only limited concessions are granted in the form of tariff rate quotas. Any import of beef is subject to full compliance with EU health and safety standards including the ban on hormone treated beef. This means that only hormone-free meat can be imported into the EU. Ireland successfully campaigned for the EU to grant Canada a low beef tariff rate quota of 45,850 tonnes progressively over 5 years thereby safeguarding our important EU market in this area. Above this agreed quota the EU's high tariffs continue to apply.