The Committee on Agriculture and the Marine will meet tomorrow (Tuesday, October 6) with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue.
The meeting at 4:00pm at Leinster House will discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the agriculture sector and priorities in relation to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Brexit.
It is the first public meeting of the Committee on Agriculture and the Marine this term.
Brexit and CAP
In advance of the meeting, chair of the committee deputy Jackie Cahill said: “The impact of Brexit and Covid-19 on our agriculture, food and marine sectors will be very significant.
“With that in mind an insight into Ireland’s position in the area of CAP and ongoing Brexit negotiations will be an important opportunity for committee members to engage with the minister on the topic,” he said.
Last week (September 30) Fine Gael senator Tim Lombard was elected as vice-chair of the committee. He is also the Fine Gael spokesperson for agriculture, food and the marine in the Seanad.
Tomorrow’s meeting with minister McConalogue follows the first meeting of the committee which took place last week.
Following that initial meeting, deputy Cahill said: “We will not be sitting around and intend on hitting the ground running with our work.
It is clear that this committee must focus much of its work on three key issues: CAP negotiations; Brexit; and climate change.
“I will ensure that this is done, by working with all members of the committee, and that its work is focused on issues genuinely affecting the sector at the moment, as well as issues coming down the line,” he concluded.