Watch: Minister coy on conditions for proposed derogation
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon kept his cards close to his chest on the conditions for a proposed new nitrates derogation at the annual general meeting (AGM) of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA).
The association's AGM was held in Limerick today (Friday, November 28), with the developments of this week on the derogation forming a key part of the discussions.
Apart from that, the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement also came up for debate.
Speaking to Agriland at the ICMSA AGM, the minister said: "We’re in a process that isn’t completed yet. The next stage of the process is that the technical committee for nitrates meets on December 9.
"What I was able to confirm this week is that Commissioner [for Environment Jessika] Roswall has agreed, after really lengthy negotiations, to a set of proposals that I could agree to that I think is the best possible outcome for farming and our agriculture sector, and for water quality and for our environment and our habitats," he added.
"What I can say is that that involves an extension of our derogation for three years subject to certain conditionality.
"I will be able to be more open with people on that conditionality after December 9, and I have to brief cabinet colleagues which I haven’t got to do yet," Minister Heydon said.
He stressed that the process so far has been "really sensitive".
"It’s been a lengthy process, and one where I’ve had opportunities to make an agreement earlier, that I wasn’t willing to do because the conditionality wasn’t something I was willing to accept," the minister said.
"I'm afraid I can’t give all that detail out now, I do have a process to go through, and farm organisations and industry have been really responsible in their engagement on this, and they’re due to be properly briefed on this as well," he added.
"As of now, we don’t have a derogation on January 1, so what we are looking to do is to have an extension of the derogation, beyond the end of this year with certain conditionality," the minister said.
"That new conditionality would be in place from January 1".
On the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, the minister said he would continue speaking with his counterparts in other EU countries with a view to forming a 'blocking minority' in the Council of the EU.
"My most recent meeting of the council was on November 17 in Brussels and I met with my Italian counterpart, and my French counterpart. I know my colleagues at the [council] whose countries are most concerned and opposed, and have been previously, to Mercosur. I continue to engage with them," he said.
The minister added: "I’ve had bilateral meetings in recent months with my colleagues from Poland, from Austira, from Lativia and beyond.
"I'm continuing to talk to those countries...it's about explaining our sensitivities around our beef trade and our concerns around that Mercosur beef deal.
"It takes at least four member states, a blocking minority of at least 35% of the population of the EU. It’s a really high bar to reach.And to reach that you would need countries with very large populations to oppose this," Minister Heydon explained.
"And it's continuing to work with countries who were in a position of opposition and who had great concerns around this deal, to continue to engage with them in the coming weeks," he said.
