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The agenda had a strong fisheries element, but the Irish Agriculture Minister used the occasion to address the two major issues coming up for Irish farmers: Brexit and CAP reform.
On Brexit, he held discussions with his counterparts from Spain, Scotland and Estonia who will take over the presidency from June for the second half of this year, when the Brexit negotiations will move up to full pace.
He also had a separate meeting with current Council Maltese President and the EU Agriculture Commissioner, Phil Hogan, who has been encouraging the Irish Government to further build linkages with the EU members that will remain after the UK leaves.
CAP consultation
CAP was part of the formal session of the Council and Minister Creed said he “stressed the importance of ensuring that the CAP continues to evolve in the way that it has over recent reforms, and that it supports the achievement of European strategic objectives.
“This will help to reinforce the relevance and effectiveness of the policy, and to secure a strong CAP budget for the period post-2020.”
The EU Commission has a consultation on what the next CAP should look like continuing at present, which will remain open until 2 May.
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