Agri-food and food security has been highlighted as one of the key areas of cooperation between Ireland and Canada, marking Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Ireland.
The Prime Minister arrived at Dublin Airport earlier today (Saturday 13 June), where he was welcomed by Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
Later, a joint statement was issued on behalf of the two leaders to mark the occasion.
The two leaders agreed on eight areas for further cooperation “to further advance strategic cooperation and open new opportunities for our people and companies across the Atlantic,” the statement said.
Agri-food is one such area, with the Prime Minister and Prime Minister recognizing “the importance of resilient and sustainable agri-food systems”.
The two leaders committed to strengthening the agri-food and supply chain investment partnership “event” to promote mutual investment and “supply chain resilience,” the statement said.
Ireland and Canada will also explore ways to support investment in agri-food and enhance engagement between Canadian and Irish companies to support “vibrant and thriving agri-food sectors,” the statement said.
The statement added that the two countries will deepen dialogue on market access issues for agricultural, food, seafood and beverage products. and increased cooperation in agricultural innovation and science-based approaches to food systems.
They will also explore opportunities to jointly engage with other partners in agricultural innovation and global food security.
CETA
Outside of agri-food, this statement welcomed Ireland’s progress towards ratification of the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), and “stressed its role in supporting jobs; small and medium-sized enterprises; stronger trade relationships; and economic growth.”
However, this business deal was not without controversy.
In November last year, the government approved a draft law that would enable the ratification of CETA.
Tánaiste and then Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris said that at the time: “The aim of this bill is to allow us to move forward with the ratification of CETA and other similar agreements with investment protection provisions.
“This is a priority for the government, at least in light of today’s turbulent international trade environment,” he said.
but, The Social Democrats claimed at the time That the government was trying to expedite the ratification of CETA.
A spokesman for the Social Democratic Party described the government’s attempt to ratify the agreement without prior legislative scrutiny as “an extremely cynical move.”
“Previous attempts…to pass CETA were stopped in their tracks by political opposition and a successful legal challenge in the Supreme Court in 2022, which found elements of the agreement unconstitutional,” the spokesperson added.
The party has raised concerns about the highly controversial “investor court system”.
The spokesman claimed that this “will allow large companies to jump domestic and EU courts and take cases against governments to court when policy decisions affect their bottom line.”
