EU/US TTIP

Another round of negotiations is to kick off in Washington next week, with COPA COGECA involved in a stakeholder Dialogue on 20^th April.

The aim for this round of negations for Agriculture is movement on the Market Access chapter with Member states giving the Commission the power to come forward with a second offer that might entice the US to make a realistic return offer.

One innovation from the EU side is the floating of an idea called a ‘safeguard clause’ that would allow both the EU and the US to act to protect aspects of their agriculture during periods of market disturbance.

With the US/Pacific trade deal going slowly, there is less hope that a TTIP will be completed in 2015, with Trade Commissioner Malmstrom admitting as much during a brief held in Dublin on the potential impact of a TTIP on Ireland.

Agreement on Geographical Indicators- a labelling system that Ireland as little or nothing to gain from a dairy perspective- remains a main stumbling block.

ICOS have meetings with the US dairy industry in early may as well as ongoing dialogue with the Commission on the matter to ensure a TTIP emerges that will help Irish Dairy Cooperatives.

Russia

As we go into the 8^th month of the Russian Agri food ban we do not see much positive developments that a potential reopening of the market will happen before August at the very earliest.

Relations between Brussels and Moscow remain very icy. And despite a stricken government in Athens making individual overtures to Putin to allow them bypass the food export ban little movement can be reported.

Vietnam

In better news, it looks like an FTA between the EU and Vietnam is imminent, with a 12^th, and possibly, final round of negations to be signed off in the summer.

Vietnam is a country of almost 100 million people that is rapidly developing, and ICOS have repeatedly pointed out the possibilities in the country for our dairy co-operatives.

The Irish Public Accounts Committee also recently visited the country and passed the funding for Bord Bia to set up an office to promote Irish food and dairy in the key city of Saigon.

Vietnam has at present a $6 billion dollar and growing dairy industry that is only 20% supplied by the domestic Vietnamese dairy industry.

Co-operatives such as Fonterra and Friesland Campenia already have a strong foothold in the region, along with the Americans. ICOS hopes that recent developments encourage Irish dairy co-operatives to target this market.