The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., has succeeded in garnering the support of all twenty-six of his Member State counterparts in his ongoing efforts to secure a European response to the impact of COVID-19 for the agri-food sector.
Speaking after the final agreement on a Joint Statement emerged following an intense engagement at the official level, the Minister said, “I am delighted that it has proven possible for all of my colleagues to join Ireland in this initiative. A pan-European problem requires a common European response. The fact that all twenty-seven Member States have agreed this joint approach is a powerful expression of solidarity – one which I hope will register strongly with the European Commission and lead to decisive action as soon as possible.”
This development comes after a period of sustained effort by Minister Creed to have the economic impact of COVID-19 on farmers and the wider agri-food sector acknowledged and addressed. He has written to European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, in this regard on two occasions in the last few weeks, has addressed the matter at the video conference of Agriculture Ministers at the end of March, and spoken to the Commissioner directly by video conference last week.
The Minister stated “I have taken every opportunity, including through a recent bilateral discussion with the Commissioner, to press the need for urgent action at European level. While of course, the immediate priority in this unprecedented public health emergency is the protection of public health, there is also a need to address the economic impacts of COVID-19, from which the agri-food sector is not immune. Indeed, these impacts are growing more acute by the day. I welcome the wider action already taken at the European level, including through the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative, but there is a clear need to urgently address the particular difficulties being experienced by farmers and the agri-food sector.”
The focus of the Minister’s efforts has been to secure action under three broad headings, namely:
- Rapid deployment of the full range of support measures provided for under the Common Market Organisation Regulation – including Private Storage Aid for dairy and other products, and exceptional aid for beef and sheep farmers;
- Increased flexibility in the implementation of direct payments under the Basic Payment Scheme – including in the form of earlier payment dates, higher rates of advance payment, and in relation to on-the-spot controls and administrative checks: and
- Similarly increased flexibility in the implementation of Rural Development Programmes.
All of these elements feature strongly in today’s Joint Statement.
Confirming that the Joint Statement has now been submitted to Commissioner Wojciechowski by Ireland on behalf of all Member States, the Minister concluded, “Today is an important step in all of our efforts to ensure that farmers and the agri-food sector – who are playing a vital role in the fight against COVID-19 by maintaining continuity of food supply in very difficult circumstances – are protected to the maximum possible extent from the economic impact of this crisis. But it is just a further step. We have to follow this up through continued, sustained engagement with the European Commission. I look forward to playing a leading role in this regard.”
