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The Minister for Agriculture Food and Marine, Michael Creed TD this morning (Thursday) met with Christian Schmidt, the German Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture in Berlin. The bilateral meeting is the first of three that Minister Creed is holding with EU Agriculture Ministers today and tomorrow across the E.U.

Commenting after his meeting with Minister Schmidt, Minister Creed said; “this was an important opportunity meet with an important EU colleague and to raise awareness of Ireland's exposure from an Agri-food perspective and the potential impact on EU agriculture, as a result of the U.K.’s decision to leave the E.U. This morning’s meeting is part of an ongoing process of building alliances and awareness for our unique position as an integrated food economy on a North-South basis and the threat Brexit poses to this model.”

In reference to the U.K. German trading relationship Minister Creed continued; “Germany has a significant trade surplus with the U.K in terms of Agri-food products (€3 billion) which is an important point to note when establishing common ground. I was pleased that Minister Schmidt acknowledged the importance of this trade from a German perspective which is key in the context of shaping the overall E.U. approach to future discussions on trade particularly in Agri-food.”

The Ministers also discussed the potential impact of Brexit on the fisheries sector. Commenting on the exchange Minister Creed said; “the German fishing industry faces similar exposure to Ireland in terms of the volume of fish they land from the U.K. EEZ. It was important to impress upon Minister Schmidt the importance of not addressing the issue of Fisheries in isolation but rather as part of the overall discussions on trade. Minister Schmidt and I agreed on working together and with other impacted Member States on an agreed way forward.”

The Ministers also discussed the future of CAP post 2020, the ongoing review of ANC’s and the current market situation.