Relevant Matter
Public policy or programme
Public Policy Area
EU Affairs
Period
1 Sep, 2021 to 31 Dec, 2021
Specific Details
Potato Seed - Brexit
Intended results
To highlight the grave situation that the Irish potato sector is faced with in the context of the availability of seed potatoes as a result of Brexit. Ireland is heavily reliant on the United Kingdom (UK) market for seed potato.
To highlight that traditionally, Ireland has been importing approximately 6,000 tonne of seed potatoes from the UK each year, with 60% of the certified seed that is planted in Ireland coming from Scotland.
To highlight that the UK has not aligned with the European Union (EU) plant health regulations and as a result the EU has blocked the importation of seed potatoes from the UK. Ireland can therefore no longer access Scottish or Great Britain seed potatoes, and there is no clarity on this for 2022 or 2023.
To highlight that IFA, in conjunction with Copa Cogeca, wrote to the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) in May seeking urgent action from the EU Commission and the UK Government to agree a new model for 2-way trade in seed potato between the UK and the EU.
To stress that Irish growers will not have sufficient quantities of seed potatoes, namely native varieties such as Golden Wonders for the 2022 season unless immediate action is taken.
To ask the Commissioner to treat this issue as a matter of urgency for the Irish potato sector and welcome the opportunity to meet at her earliest convenience to discuss further.
Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity
Tim Cullinan IFA President, Liam MacHale IFA European Director
Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?)
No
Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign?
No
Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client?
No
Lobbying activity
The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.
Informal communication (2-5)
Designated public officials lobbied
The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them.
As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.
Colm Markey
MEP (European Parliament)
Seán Kelly
MEP (European Parliament)
Frances Fitzgerald
MEP (European Parliament)
Maria Walsh
MEP (European Parliament)
Deirdre Clune
MEP (European Parliament)
Ciarán Cuffe
MEP (European Parliament)
Grace O'Sullivan
Senator (Seanad)
Mick Wallace
MEP (European Parliament)
Chris MacManus
MEP (European Parliament)
Clare Daly
MEP (European Parliament)
Luke Ming Flanagan
MEP (European Parliament)
Billy Kelleher
MEP (European Parliament)
Barry Andrews
MEP (European Parliament)
Mairead McGuinness
MEP (European Parliament)
Charlie McConalogue
Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Patrick Donohoe
Special Adviser (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)