Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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234. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if Ireland has formally submitted an application to the European Commission to avail of CAP funding under market disturbance provisions in view of the losses incurred in the value of agrifood produce from Brexit related currency changes. [41202/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I am very much aware of the significant challenges Brexit poses for Ireland’s agrifood sector which has been adversely affected due to the fall in value of sterling. 

My Department, in conjunction with the Government, has been actively engaged in developing responses to help mitigate Brexit's more immediate effects, particularly those associated with the sterling/euro exchange rate.

Emergency measures were introduced by the Commission in accordance with Articles 219 and 220 of 1308/2013 in recent years in direct response to the market difficulties being experienced by farmers and producers during this time.  Such measures included exceptional adjustment aid to milk producers and farmers in other livestock sectors, with €350 million in emergency funding allocated to Member States.  Ireland's allocation of €11.1 million from this fund (topped up by 100% national funding) was used to leverage a greater fund of €150 million to provide low-cost loans to the livestock and tillage sectors.

At this juncture, Ireland has not applied to avail of CAP funding under market disturbance provisions. However, given that the Irish agrifood sector is particularly sensitive to the ongoing currency fluctuations between the euro and sterling, this is something that both I and my Department officials are continually monitoring. I also continue to draw the attention of the Commission, Commissioner Hogan and my counterparts in other Member States to the very real risks that Brexit and the resulting currency fluctuations have on the Irish Agrifood sector.