Relevant Matter
Public policy or programme
Public Policy Area
Agriculture
Period
1 Sep, 2018 to 31 Dec, 2018
Specific Details
Impact of Brexit on Agriculture, Food and Fisheries
Intended results
To highlight what the UK's decision to leave the EU will mean to the Irish farming and agri-food sector and the vulnerability on key production sectors.
To outline the importance of the Ireland-UK agri-food trading relationship, especially for Beef, Dairy, Sheep, Pigmeat and Poultry, Tillage, Mushrooms and Forestry
To focus on the developments in the EU / UK negotiations since July 2018 (UK White Paper on the Future Relationship following Chequers meeting) and the implications
To outline IFA's policy position on the negotiations as follows:
- that the optimum outcome of the negotiations is for the UK to remain within the Single Market and the Customs Union.
If this is not possible and the UK leaves the Single Market and Customs Union, our objectives for any new EU-UK trading relationship must include:
- Tariff-free and quota-free trade for agricultural and food product
- Full UK regulatory alignment to current and future EU standards including food safety, animal health/welfare and environmental standards and
- Full UK application of the EU’s Common External Tariff and tariff rate quotas (i.e. no increase in import volumes) for agricultural and food products.
IFA'soverall objective is: no hard border on the island of Ireland, no border in the Irish Sea and no scope for the UK to pursue a cheap food policy.
To outline IFA's reaction to the UK White Paper proposals:
- The Chequers proposals, while demonstrating some movement, still represent an effort by the UK to retain the benefits of the Customs Union and the Single Market, while having the ability to pursue an independent trade policy that would run counter to the EU’s interests.
- Irish farmers’ interests lie in maintaining full access and frictionless trade, both north-south and east-west between Ireland and Britain, while retaining the full value of the UK market.
- It is clear to IFA that the UK is aiming to avoid compliance with EU regulations on marketing, labelling, GMOs, pesticides, geographic indications, food fraud and other CAP requirements in ways that would give its producers clear competitive advantages and undermine the value of the UK market
- Overall, the UK’s White Paper proposals would be a licence to pursue a cheap food policy that would for example destroy the value of Irish beef on the UK market and drag down the EU market.
Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity
Joe Healy IFA President
Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?)
No
Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign?
No
Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client?
No
Lobbying activity
The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.
Designated public officials lobbied
The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them.
As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.
Pat Deering
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Charlie McConalogue
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Lower House of the Oireachtas)
Willie Penrose
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Martin Kenny
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Marcella Corcoran Kennedy
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Jackie Cahill
Councillor (Tipperary County Council)
Tim Lombard
Senator (Seanad)
Paul Daly
Senator (Seanad)
Michelle Mulherin
Senator (Seanad)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn
Senator (Seanad)
Ian Marshall
Senator (Seanad)
Pat 'the cope' Gallagher
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)