A global conference of agriculture ministers from 70 countries is taking place as part of the annual International Green Week exhibition on food and agriculture. The theme of this year’s ministerial summit is water managemet, but Minister Creed said he would take advantage of the event to discuss the impact of Brexit on Ireland’s farming sector.

“In addition to meeting my UK counterpart, Andrea Leadsom, I intend to raise the matter with colleagues from other member states, and to intensify the contacts that have already been made, with a view to ensuring that agri-food impacts are at the top of the EU agenda,” he said in a statement.

The issue is likely to come up again at next week’s Council of Agriculture Ministers in Brussels, now that the British Prime Minister has outlined her negotiating position – a departure of the UK from the European single market, followed by a free trade agreement with the EU.

At the IFA AGM on Tuesday, the association’s president Joe Healy called on Minister Creed and the Government to use Ireland’s strong relationship with both UK and EU leaders to influence a constructive approach for the negotiations.

“We are not about to surrender hard-won yards in the UK market,” the minister replied, even though he admitted that there was “no upside to Brexit for the Irish food sector”. Minister Creed added that his objective was to achieve a post-Brexit situation that would be as close as possible to the status quo in terms of trade with the UK.

The future of CAP is also likely to feature in discussions between ministers in Berlin, after European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan announced the imminent opening of consultations on the future of CAP after 2020 there on Friday morning.

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