Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed welcomed his French counterpart, Stephane Travert, to Ireland recently for a two-day visit.
The meeting took place on Saturday, June 30, with both ministers meeting for discussions in Cork city in the early morning.
According to the minister this visit provided an opportunity to engage with a “significant EU voice on matters of vital importance to Ireland such as CAP reform, Brexit and Mercosur”.
CAP reform
Minister Creed was quick to address issues on the proposed CAP budget. Speaking after the meeting he said:
“France, similar to Ireland, has a significant agri-food sector and therefore shares many of the same concerns that we do.
We are on one voice on the matter of the need to increase the proposed CAP budget.
“We agreed to continue to work closely together on seeking consensus across member states on the budget as well as on developing common ground on the detail of the published regulations,” said the minister.
Brexit
A meeting of two major EU delegates cannot go to pass without discussing the ever-looming Brexit negotiations. Commenting on discussions the minister continued:
“Significantly, Minister Travert reiterated French support for the prevention of a hard border on the island of Ireland.
There is a shared frustration at the lack of progress in the Brexit negotiations.
“He also voiced support for our efforts in ensuring that products that access the EU via land-bridge through the UK are not disadvantaged by Brexit,” the minister said.
“We share a strong consensus on the EU taskforce approach to fisheries and on the continuation of the tripartite agreement on the transport of equines,” the minister added.
Minister Creed reiterated Ireland’s continued opposition to the inclusion of beef in the context of any EU-Mercosur trade agreement, during discussions with the French minister.
Cork visit
Following discussions, both delegations enjoyed a piece of Irish heritage with a visit to the Jameson Experience in Midleton in the afternoon.
Yesterday (Sunday, June 1), Minister Travert followed the “Rebel” supporters to Thurles to watch Cork being crowned champions of Munster. The French minister was a guest of Minister Creed at the event.