Ó An Roinn Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara
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Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, Martin Heydon, today met with the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, and his fellow Ministers from across the EU at the Agri-Fish Council of Ministers in Brussels.
The Minister said:
"I was pleased to have an early opportunity to meet with several of my fellow Ministers and also the new EU Commissioner, who visited Ireland last week. I will work closely with my counterparts in the run up to Ireland’s EU Presidency in the second half of 2026. I am committed to ensuring that Ireland has a strong and credible voice in EU decision-making on a range of important issues which will impact the future direction of the agri-food and fisheries sectors."
On the Council agenda were discussions on strengthening the position of the farmer in the food supply chain, CAP simplification, and EU trade.
In the discussion on strengthening the position of the farmer in the food supply chain, through changes to strengthen cross-border cooperation on unfair trading practices, and the rules providing for written contracts, the Minister emphasised:
"I support Commissioner Hansen’s initiatives to further strengthen farmers’ position in the food supply chain, and to further protect them against unfair trading practices.”
In the discussion on CAP simplification, Minister Heydon called for the Council to concentrate on changes that will make the biggest impact for farmers and administrations in reducing administrative burdens.
In the discussion on trade, Minister Heydon recognised the importance of international trade, which is critically important for Irish farmers and the food industry. Trade deals come with reciprocal obligations, but in negotiating these arrangements, the EU must have regard to the need to protect our most vulnerable sectors and ensure that there is a level playing field.
In that context, regarding the EU-Mercosur Agreement, the Minister highlighted that this is a particularly difficult issue for Ireland:
"There are real concerns from sectors which are vulnerable, particularly beef. It is difficult to justify an agreement to EU farmers if we are not satisfied that other farmers are subject to the same high standards requiring them to farm in a sustainable manner.”