Ireland’s farming and food sectors are now effectively rudderless, without either a Minister or representation at commission level by someone familiar with their problems and strengths, ICMSA president Pat McCormack has said.
The ICMSA has called for the immediate appointment of a Minister for Agriculture, someone with knowledge of the sector and who will provide strong representation at cabinet and EU level.
McCormack said: “The Irish Government needs to get a hold of these issues in very short order because there’s no denying that all throughout our farming and food sector, we are starting to suffer from that lack of control and strategic direction.”
Trade portfolio
The farm organisation has said the Irish priority now must be to retain the trade portfolio within the European Commission and that could only happen if the Government nominates someone with a record of political and negotiating achievement.
McCormack continued: “If we nominate someone who the Commission doesn’t think has the ability to execute this most challenging brief, then that brief will be re-allocated and our new Commissioner will be given a brief of lesser economic and political importance.
“There’s no point is denying that reality - we need a heavy hitter nominated and we must secure the trade portfolio.”
Brexit
The ICMSA president said that given Brexit, CAP post-2020, Mercusor, and climate change all remain alarming issues, the Government must come to terms with the lack of representation immediately.
“It’s quite extraordinary how much Brexit seems to have fallen off the political radar and how complacent we seem to have become about the threat it represents to €2.5bn worth of food exports to UK markets that we have held for centuries.”
Read more
New minister must be nominated immediately as farmers battle storms on all sides
Von der Leyen to decide if Ireland retains trade portfolio ‘at a later stage’
Who will become Ireland’s next commissioner?
Ireland’s farming and food sectors are now effectively rudderless, without either a Minister or representation at commission level by someone familiar with their problems and strengths, ICMSA president Pat McCormack has said.
The ICMSA has called for the immediate appointment of a Minister for Agriculture, someone with knowledge of the sector and who will provide strong representation at cabinet and EU level.
McCormack said: “The Irish Government needs to get a hold of these issues in very short order because there’s no denying that all throughout our farming and food sector, we are starting to suffer from that lack of control and strategic direction.”
Trade portfolio
The farm organisation has said the Irish priority now must be to retain the trade portfolio within the European Commission and that could only happen if the Government nominates someone with a record of political and negotiating achievement.
McCormack continued: “If we nominate someone who the Commission doesn’t think has the ability to execute this most challenging brief, then that brief will be re-allocated and our new Commissioner will be given a brief of lesser economic and political importance.
“There’s no point is denying that reality - we need a heavy hitter nominated and we must secure the trade portfolio.”
Brexit
The ICMSA president said that given Brexit, CAP post-2020, Mercusor, and climate change all remain alarming issues, the Government must come to terms with the lack of representation immediately.
“It’s quite extraordinary how much Brexit seems to have fallen off the political radar and how complacent we seem to have become about the threat it represents to €2.5bn worth of food exports to UK markets that we have held for centuries.”
Read more
New minister must be nominated immediately as farmers battle storms on all sides
Von der Leyen to decide if Ireland retains trade portfolio ‘at a later stage’
Who will become Ireland’s next commissioner?
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