Answering a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smith on the proposals made at the recent EU council of agriculture ministers in Brussels to provide support for the dairy sector, the outgoing minister for agriculture said that he has “called on the Commission to consider looking at temporary suspension of EU import tariffs on fertilisers to reduce input costs for Irish and EU farmers”.

Coveney added that he understands the Commission is “looking favourably” on this request.

IFA report

In early March an IFA-commissioned report found that farmers in Ireland and across the EU would gain by €1b per year if the EU abolished its duties and tariffs on imported fertilisers. A net 17,245 new jobs in EU agriculture would also be created.

IFA chair Jer Bergin presented the report at the time of its publication to EU farm commissioner Phil Hogan as well as to senior officials in trade and internal markets.

A proposal to temporarily suspend these imports was added to the agenda of the council of EU farm ministers of 14 March.

However, speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal immediately after the meeting of the ministers in Brussels, Coveney hinted at the council failing to prioritise this issue.

“What I was not happy with was the issue of fertiliser prices,” he said. “What I’d like to see is a temporary suspension of the import levies which could have quite a significant and positive impact on reducing fertiliser prices for farmers in the EU.”

Coveney’s recent reply to Smith, however, suggests there is more movement on this front now than there was back in March.