Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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1368. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on the latest publication by the EU Commission notice of initiation of a partial interim review of the anti-dumping measures applicable to imports of ammonium nitrate originating in Russia. [38478/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the European Commission’s notice of initiation to conduct a partial interim review of the anti dumping measures applicable to imports of ammonium nitrate originating in Russia. I have raised the issue of anti dumping duties on imports of fertiliser from Russia a number of times at the Council of Agriculture Ministers, most recently at the meeting of Agriculture Ministers held in Luxembourg in June 2017.

I am acutely aware that fertiliser is a major input cost on farms. Indeed Eurostat estimates that fertiliser is the third most important expenditure item on EU farms, accounting for €19.2 billon of input costs in 2014. In terms of Irish farms, the Central Statistics Office 2016 final estimates of Output, Input and Income in Agriculture identifies fertiliser expenditure at €508 million in 2016.

The anti-dumping duties on Russian fertiliser imports range from €32.83 per tonne to €47.07 per tonne of ammonium nitrate with Nitrogen being the main nutrient used in Ireland relative to Phosphorus or Potassium.

As highlighted, I have raised the issue of anti dumping tariffs on fertiliser imports at Council on a number of occasions, because they impose a significant additional cost on Irish farmers.  While the issue has proven quite intractable, because Member States have differing views on the matter, I am pleased that the Commission has announced its intention to conduct this review.