Minister Creed outlines measures to tackle Brexit
AGRICULTURE Minister Michael Creed told the Dáil he is addressing the immediate Brexit challenges through a range of budgetary measures aimed at improving competitiveness and developing market and product diversification.
Speaking during Question Time, he said these measures include a €150 million lowcost loan scheme in 2017 to help reduce farm-gate business costs and a dedicated €50 million Brexit package in Budget 2018. This included further additional funding to Bord Bia and Teagasc, as well as a contribution to a €300 million Brexit loan scheme, at least 40 per cent of which is available to food businesses.
“In Budget 2019, I announced a €78 million Brexit package for farmers, fishermen and food SMEs to cover additional costs related to Brexit,” he said.
“My colleague, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, also announced the future growth loan scheme, which will be rolled out in 2019 and for which I had made provision of €25million in 2018. The scheme will provide long-term unsecured investment finance for farmers and small-scale companies in the food and seafood sectors.”
On market and product diversification, Minister Creed said the additional funding he has provided to Bord Bia has been used, inter alia, to provide targeted advice to individual companies, as well as to conduct a market prioritisation exercise. This is now informing the approach to market diversification activities, including the choice of destinations for trade missions.
“Product diversification also has been supported through additional funding of €8.8million to Teagasc to develop its national food innovation hub and funding to support investment in the prepared consumer foods sector,” he added.
“I and my officials have been working hard for some time to sensitise other member states and the European Commission to the potentially highly severe impacts of Brexit on the Irish agri-food and fisheries sectors, and to the likelihood of specific supports being required to deal with these impacts,” he said.
Most recently, he held a bilateral meeting with Commissioner Hogan to discuss the potential impact of a disorderly Brexit on the Irish agri-food and fisheries sectors.
“Commissioner Hogan reiterated the EU’s readiness to respond [to] and support Ireland and we will remain in contact on these issues as the situation evolves,” said Minister Creed. the application to raise a red flag in the Department in relation to the issuing of a licence. How does the licensing fit with the commitments in the programme for Government referred to? Should a red flag not have been raised?”
In reply, Minister Michael Creed said the licence to which Deputy Aindrias Moynihan referred to for the Toon Valley wood is a thinning licence, and it remains suspended pending an investigation by the Forest Service.