Agriculture Minister has ‘profound reservations’ over EU trade talks

MINISTER for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney has revealed he has profound reservations about the trade negotiations between the EU and the Mercosur group of countries.

In a wide-ranging address to the AGM of the Agriculture Consultants Association, Minister Coveney said that, during his first two weeks in office, he had taken the opportunity to express his “strongly-held views” on the future of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and the ongoing trade negotiations between the EU and the Mercosur group of countries.

The minister welcomed the “new positivity around agriculture and food and the increasing realisation about the role the sector can play in driving economic recovery”.