Barry Cowen: EU trade deals driving Irish food exports
MEP Barry Cowen sets out why recent EU trade deals and increased Commission funding matter for Irish farmers and food producers. He highlights export gains, policy funding increases, and the need for promotion that matches environmental and consumer expectations.
Trade progress and funding
Barry Cowen outlines how geopolitical shifts - a more inward-looking US and a more assertive China - have pushed the EU to conclude trade deals with partners including the UK, the US, Mercosur, India and Australia. He welcomes the Commission's funding rise from a low of £140 million some years ago to £205 billion now and argues this supports market access for Irish food and drink.
Export gains and sector impact
Cowen points to measurable results: a 5% year-on-year increase in Irish exports and a 24% rise in Irish beef exports. He says these numbers demonstrate the potential of new markets and the importance of well-resourced promotion to convert that potential into revenue for farmers and producers.
Policy and producer responsibilities
Cowen stresses that promotional policy must help producers align quality with environmental ambition and consumer sentiment. He argues that properly funded promotion and safeguards in trade deals are essential to win favour for Irish products and secure profits for farming communities.
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Thanks, Chair. In this mandate, because of geopolitical realities, the likes of the US looking inwards and China being more assertive, not to mention input costs, pressures as has been alluded to, rising as a result of war, the EU has been striving to conclude trade deals in a more timely fashion. We've seen that with the UK, we've seen it with the US, with Mercosur, we might agree with it, but hard-won concessions and safeguards nonetheless, and in India and Australia to mention a few, and these trade deals are essential for our sector in offering new and huge markets for our food and drink products, and I welcome the Commission's increase in funding in that regard from a low some years ago of £140 million to £205 billion now. In Ireland, we've seen a 5% increase in our exports year on year, a 24% increase on our beef alone, so that proves the potential that is there to take advantage of these new markets, and a well-resourced and well-funded promotional policy can only enhance the producers' remit to ensure that their quality matches environmental ambition but also matches consumer sentiment and wins support, wins favour, and wins revenue for our respective Member States, and profits, of course, for those that do so, they being the farmers who produce that food.
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