Outgoing European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan has been labelled the “poster boy” for Irish beef expansion by Dublin MEP Ciaran Cuffe.

Cuffe told journalists in Brussels on Monday that it is a huge challenge to try to marry climate targets with the aspirations of Mercosur.

“I think if you ask my colleagues, they would look at Phil Hogan and ask themselves what actually has been delivered by him in his previous portfolio.

Leopards I guess have the ability to change their spots

"I’m delighted that Ireland has been given a fairly senior portfolio, but is Hogan the guy to join all the issues together? I’ll watch that space.

“Leopards, I guess, have the ability to change their spots, I just haven’t seen it happen.

“I think Phil Hogan has been the poster boy for the expansion of the beef sector in Ireland for agricultural policies that haven’t been sustainable and it’s a major challenge to turn agriculture around and to look at forestry, to look at horticulture, to look at farm-based industry and tourism, to take the focus away simply from beef production,” Cuffe said.

Trade

Looking at future trade, Cuffe was wary of marrying climate targets with the aspirations of Mercosur.

“While a chapter of Mercosur does deal with sustainability, it’s basically left up to the Paris Agreement to actually sort out any conflicts when they arise. It’s not strong,” he said.

Next CAP

In response to a question from the Irish Farmers Journal on what the next CAP should look like, Cuffe said he thinks it should strongly subsidise low-carbon production and that diversification, in the Irish context, has to be at the heart of that discussion.

“I think forestry is part of that, but we’ve seen problems with our existing forestry policies where the focus was on fast-growth mono species, how can we go beyond that into more broadleaf planting, more added value.

“To me, adding value is crucial, so not just cutting fast-growing trees and making them into chipboard or medite, making them into furniture, making them into quality products and that’s not something we have a huge tradition of.

“But, in a similar way in beef, how do we add value at home? I think that given that these type of trade deals won’t go away, Ireland will have to be competitive in a more open market.

“Ultimately, Irish beef and lamb are quality products and I think we need to up our game in terms of the marketing of them abroad,” he said.

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