Written answers

Thursday, 22 June 2017

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Brexit Issues

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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24. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which his Department has carried out an evaluation of the impact of Brexit on the various aspects of the agri-food producing and business sectors including the need to retain existing provisions for the equine industry vis a vis Ireland, the UK and France; the extent to which alternatives can be examined in the event of difficulties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28164/17]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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My Department and its agencies have conducted various analyses of the likely impact of Brexit on the agri-food sector. These analyses range from initial and ongoing internal departmental assessments to published work by Teagasc and Bord Bia.

This is an ongoing process, and will continue through extensive consultation with stakeholders, for example through the Department's Stakeholder Consultative Committee and through the All-Island Civic Dialogue process, in respect of which I have already hosted five agri-food and fisheries sectoral dialogues, the most recent of which I held only last week in respect of the equine and greyhound industries.

I have already referred in some length in earlier replies to the range of short- and long-term impacts likely to arise as a result of Brexit, to the measures that I have already taken in order to help mitigate the short-term impacts, and to the ongoing work being undertaken by myself and my Department in relation to dealing with the longer-term impacts.

From the point of view of the equine industry, I would point out that my Department has been in regular contact with Irish equine industry stakeholders in order to fully understand the potential implications of Brexit for the sector. The sector is represented on the Department's Stakeholder Consultative Committee, which met most recently on 11 April, and, as I mentioned, was the focus of the latest of the five sectoral dialogues that I have hosted under the All-Island Civic Dialogue process, which took place in Portlaoise last week. This event provided myself and my Department with an invaluable further opportunity to tease out these issues in some detail, and to consider possible responses, and was made all the more worthwhile by the strong attendance of representatives from Northern Ireland, given the highly integrated nature of the industry on the island. 

These contacts have given the industry the opportunity to flag its concerns in relation to Brexit, including in relation to the operation of the Tripartite Agreement, which facilitates the free movement of horses between Ireland, the UK and France. Indeed, this was an issue which featured very prominently at last week's Dialogue, and will be given careful consideration by myself and my Department over the coming period.

I would also point out that, in April this year, Department officials hosted the annual meeting of the Tripartite member countries and industry stakeholders, which provided the opportunity to discuss this issue with the UK and France. The matter has also been raised in the context of my Department's ongoing contacts with its counterpart in Northern Ireland.  

I am very aware of the potential threats that Brexit represents to many areas of the agri-food sector, but I remain very focused on supporting the industry through the challenges ahead. I will continue to consult with the industry as the negotiations develop in order to ensure that the issues faced across all sectors, including the equine sector, are fully understood and addressed.

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