(The Minister of State
for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food):Agriculture and
Fisheries Council took place in Luxembourg on 15 October. The UK
was represented by Katrina Williams, Deputy Permanent
Representative to the EU, and Rory O’Donnell, Agriculture
Counsellor.
The main focus of the Council for fisheries was a Regulation on
fixing the fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2019, for
which a political agreement was sought. Additional scientific
advice for 2019 was presented and the deal received unanimous
support from member states.
There was also an exchange of views on the EU-Norway annual
consultation for 2019. The Commission highlighted the 2019
deadline for full implementation of the EU Landing Obligations
and the 2020 deadline for all EU stocks to be fished at Maximum
Sustainable Yield. The UK mentioned the importance of maximising
inward trades of fish species to help mitigate potential ‘choke’
problems in the North Sea in 2019.
During an exchange of views on the annual meeting of the
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
(ICCAT), some member states supported a move within ICCAT to
progress the Bluefin tuna recovery plan into a management plan.
Commissioner Vella agreed with greater participation of small
scale fishers but made it clear that the existing controls should
remain in place.
For agriculture, the main item that was discussed was the
progress report on the Regulation on CAP Strategic Plans. Member
states supported the new delivery model in principle but
discussed making some of the requirements optional. In response,
the Commission pointed out the importance of ensuring a level
playing field.
The Commission debriefed Council on the G20 Agricultural
Ministerial meeting that took place in July, highlighting that
the conclusions reflected the EU’s position.
The Presidency updated Council on the outcome of the informal
process to identify a single EU candidate for the next
Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO).
A number of items were discussed under ‘any other business’:
- The Italian delegation raised an item about the state of the
European sugar market
- The Spanish delegation informed Council of the upcoming
electoral round for the Director-General of the International
Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV)
- The Commission gave an update on the state of play with African
Swine Fever (ASF). An informal ministerial meeting on ASF will be
held in the margins of the AgriFish Council on 19 December.
